Expressing Yourself
by Whovian'sForeverUnited
Summary: She was just there to help, nothing more, nothing less. But she found herself falling, falling fast for that awkward but cute detective. And then there's Light trying to come in between all that. What's a girl to do?
1. Strange Day

Hello! Thanks to _XStrawberryDuckFeathersX _I've decided to add this. Nevertheless, it will have the same outcome. You know with Raina being transported to nowhere in all, but it'll explain more on how she ended up there or what she was doing when she was transported.

Enjoy!

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_Expressing Yourself_

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If I had to pick a day where I would just love to just drop dead for a few hours, today would be that day.

Work was excoriatingly boring and slightly painful considering I got whacked in the head with a dictionary. Then Cassie, the co-boss, came over and had to question why I was lying on the floor. Did anyone bother to help me? No. Did anyone confess to throwing the book, whether on purpose or not? Obviously not.

"Thank the lord this day is over with." I thought as I paced myself up to my door. All I was ready to do was take a hot bath and flop down onto my bed to get the few hours of sleep I get every day.

_Ring-Ring-Ring-Ring_

That's not the first thing you want to hear after coming home from a long day of work, is it?

"I guess bathing and sleeping are going to have to be patient." I thought before closing the door behind me. I placed my keys on the hook nearby before walking over to the house phone, which was still ringing.

"You know most people hang up after a few rings." I thought, "Must be Mom." She was the only person that I knew who would constantly call until the person she wanted to talk to answered. I'm glad I took after my father when it came to that.

"Hello?" I said politely once I picked up the phone. There was static on the other line for a couple of minutes.

"Hello? Raina, is that you?" Mom's voice rang on the other end. I sighed.

"Yes, it's me." I said, "Did you need to speak with me?"

"Yes, it's about your father." I rolled my eyes at this. Here we go again…

"Mom, I don't want to talk about how you hate his new wife." I said, "Let him live his life, after all he's letting you live yours."

"I know, I know." Mom said, "I just don't want him to bring her over to meet the family on Saturday." I blinked.

"Mom, may I remind you that it was you who said that he was still a part of the family when you divorced him." I said, "Why take it back now?" I took a look at the clock, "Look, I have to go, but you need to work something out with Dad. Neither of you are going to be happy if you're criticizing who you decide to marry or not marry after you both decided to break from each other. Don't turn this into something worse, okay? Now I have to go. Remember what I said." And at that I hung up. Now I had something else to add to the headache I had. I mean I love them both but I couldn't be their peacemaker or middleman if you prefer.

"I often wonder if either of them wanted to actually divorce each other." I thought. You'd think with how they're acting that they're still in love with each other, which was a logical excuse for their behavior.

Anyways….

"Time to relax." I said to myself before waltzing up the staircase. I immediately headed left to the bathroom and turned the bath water on to warm. Once that was finished I couldn't help but take a look at myself in the mirror. I placed a ginger hand on my face. You could clearly see the black forming beneath my eyes and how worn out I looked.

"Oh…." I sighed, "Why can't life be a book?" That's what I wondered as I walked into my room. I kept the door open to keep a better eye out on the running bath water. I was just in here for my nightie.

"Now where did I put it?" I questioned myself as I looked around for it. I had about 5 of them but the others were wet in the washing machine, so they were unusable. I always kept one just in case of days like this.

"Maybe it's in the closet." So, walking over to it, hoping to find it in there, but instead I was met with the pain of having something else hit my head thus knocking me to the floor.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed rubbing the aching spot on my head. What was….oh….

Looking at the box with its contents scattered on the floor now, I let a small smile grace my face.

"I had almost forgotten about these." I thought picking one of the objects up. It was a book, or more specifically a manga of my favorite teenhood anime/manga show: Death Note. The cover had very few colors, of which were pink, black, tan, white and red. Beneath the title was the antagonist of the series/story Light Yagami, behind him was his untrustworthy shinigami Ryuk, and behind him a cross. Skulls and other creepy things surrounded them, but that wasn't important.

"I remember how much I used to love this." I turned the page, skipping the parts I didn't want to read, before getting to the first page of interest. As I started to read the thoughts of anything else flew out of my mind. Another reason for why I loved this story so much.

Anyways, as my eyes roamed the pages, I flopped onto my bed my face showing how entailed I was in the book. After a few moments, and finishing almost half the book, I was hit with the full effects of my weariness, which I've ignored since I started to read. Then a thought came to mind.

"The bath!" Quick as lighting I sped to the bathroom, only to stop and stare. I did leave the bath water running right? Right. So how come it wasn't running now?

Wearily I stepped over to the still water. The only sound was each drip from the faucet. I looked around to see if anybody had snuck in or something logical like that.

"Hello?" I called out walking forwards, "If anyone's out there then I suggest you show yourself." Nobody answered, of course.

"You have until the count of three." I tried again, "One…two….three!"

Nothing….

"There has to a logical explanation for all of this!" I cried out, aggravated.

"There is child." I froze, face paling, before I turned around. No…freaking…way….

"Y-you're…." My eyes rolled to the back of my head before I fell backwards. I heard someone say something about humans before I blacked out.

This day couldn't get any weirder.

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It wasn't supposed to be this long but it ended up being this long so….yeah….I guess you get another part now. Congratulations.

Reviews are welcomed at your own will.


	2. A Quick Stop to Nowhere

Me: Hello. Welcome to my story. I hope you enjoy it

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_Expressing Yourself_

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This was strange.

The last thing I remember was hearing a quite familiar voice and fainting at the sight of its owner. I'd thought it was all a dream…apparently not.

"Where am I?" I questioned looking around. The room I was in was bare, with the exception of the chairs nearby, overall it was kind of creepy.

"Hello." I called, hoping for an answer. I got nothing but echo back. So, sighing, I sat in a chair, hoping for some logically explanation for all this. I sat there for maybe a couple of minutes before the silence and the oddity of it all started to get to me.

"This is madness." I thought looking around. "Why am I here?"

_Because we need your help._

"Whoa, hold it." I said. "Was that a real voice or am I just going insane?"

_You're not going insane, I am here, and I am real._

"Okay, if this is real, why am I here?" I asked.

_Once again I say because we need your help._

My eyebrow rose in question, "Why do you need my help? What use am I to whoever you are?" There was silence for a few seconds.

_You're an avid fan of the anime/manga Death Note, am I correct?_

"When I was a teenager, yeah." I said. "Now I hardly have enough time to sit down and read a book, let alone anime shows."

_But you still remember the events that took place in the show, don't you?_

"Yeah, I suppose I do." I said. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

_I could say the same for you, but I won't._

"You didn't answer my question." I said. I was getting irritated, why on earth was I here for?

_Quite the perceptive one, okay, I'll tell you…._

_We need your help you stop him._

"Stop who?" I interrupted.

_Let me finish. As I was saying, we need your help you stop him, to stop the one called "Kira" or as you all know "Light Yagami."_

I laughed. That's what I did for a couple of minutes.

"So let's see if I understand this," I said. "You need my help to stop a fictional character that died after being shot by Matsuda, who is the man for doing that."

_Silly humans, thinking everything's just as it is. You think everything you read is just that unless it's based on a true story. Well, I'm here to tell you that everything you do read is real. Everything from the shows you watch to the things you read have their own universe, and that includes Death Note. And in your universe, yes, Light Yagami did die, but in another, no he certainly did not. And we need your help to stop him._

"Okay, say that I believed this for a moment, what about L?" I questioned, "The detective of that universe, the one who was supposed to stop Light but was killed by Rem to save Misa? That detective. What is he up to?"

_He's losing the game, it's gotten too far out of hand. He's also on the brink of death._

"Again?" I asked. "He really needs some body guards….though in this case it really wouldn't help."

_Yes, very insightful, but we still need your help._

I blinked and crossed my arms thinking about the whole situation.

"Alright, I'll help, but answer me this." I said. "Why did you pick me and how am I supposed to help them? It's gotten too far, if I was in the anime when it all began then I could possible stop it. But everything's too unpredictable now, how am I supposed to beat that?"

_Once again you prove that you are quite perceptive. We chose you because you were the most compatible with the requirements we needed for this person. You're brave, smart, and not afraid to take risks if for the good of others. You also don't have a reason to go back to your home, so you'll stay longer. _

I held up my hand, "Hold on," I said. "What exactly do you know about me?" The voice chuckled.

_So much, Raina. So very much…_

"Stalker much." I muttered. "Alright, so how am I supposed to stop him?"

_We will bring you back to the time when it all began, or the beginning of your anime story, and it will move on from there. It's up to you to decide how you're going to beat him. And to just warn you, if you fail, then you may never return to your home again. You will live your days out in that realm and whatever comes to you._

"Okay, unfair, but okay." I said. "So, if I don't fail, do I have to return?" Another chuckle.

_No, you may choose what you wish to do at the end…if you don't fail that is._

Nodding, I smiled, "Alright," I said. "Let's hit it."

A white light surrounded the room before I slowly blacked out.

This was going to be interesting….

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Was it better this time? I know that not much was added but if spot out the differences then feel free to tell me.


	3. Planning It Out: Part 1

Hello! I wanted to thank all that have followed/reviewed/favorite my story. It means a lot.

Now, onto the story.

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_Expressing Yourself_

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Okay, I feel something wet on me. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw that there was a dog near my arm. Or better yet on my arm.

"Shoo." I said, "Go home." It looked at me. I rolled my eyes and got up, and it scampered off. Once I got up I felt the soreness in the back of my head.

"Guess that's what dimension traveling does to you." I thought before looking down. A puddle, I could see my reflection. It was interesting to say the least. All my features from when I was human were animated/animized. My hair, which was a mess earlier, was now shiny and thick, you could tell my eye color was green now, and my skin…no blemishes, acne, or any marks.

"Are you quite done?" I jumped and turned around. There, in front of me, was a shinigami.

"I thought I'd be prepared for this, since I knew what was getting into." I said looking it up and down, "But now that thought is far behind." The thing chuckled.

"Yes, well, my name is Eri." Judging by its voice, I can tell it was a female shinigami.

"Well, obviously since you're here, and you have the eyes, I don't have to introduce myself." I said, "But it's Raina."

"Yes, I know your name." She said, "I'm here to inform you on the rules you must abide by whilst here, you already know why you're here correct?" I nodded.

"Okay, first of all, you cannot join Kira's side. That's obvious, isn't it?" She said, "But if you're only doing it to deceive him then that is fine. Secondly, you cannot reveal that you are from another world. If you do then you immediately break the agreement and you will be forced to stay here. Do you have any questions?" I shook my head.

"Alright, now, I have to stay with you for the King ordered me to." She said, "But if you want to request someone else, then that is fine." I thought for a moment before shaking my head.

"No thank you, I'll stick with you if you don't mind." I said, "I don't want to end up with a daft shinigami, now do I?" She chuckled again.

"Quite right, now, since you'll be staying here until your task is complete you will need a place to stay." She said, "We have already selected a place for you, hoping to your liking, and if it's not then you may choose someplace else." I nodded, it sounded pretty fair to me.

"Alright, what about money? You know for food, clothes, some necessary equipment." I said, "My money had to be transferred over here, unless you just made me a new bank account and put some cash in it, otherwise buying me a house would be useless. And it'd seem odd that I have no money but was able to buy it."

"They were right, you are quite perceptive." She said, "And to clarify, your money was transferred over here, along with the necessary information to go with it, none at all revealing, and it was multiplied by 1000. If you need more, for any reason, then just ask."

"Nice, I like that, multiplying it by 1000." I commented, "So where's my household?"

"I'll show you." She said, "Follow me." I walked forwards as she floated forwards and after a few seconds we stopped in front of a car. A brand new car at that.

"Oh, this is too much." I said, "They didn't have to buy me a car, it's….wait a moment." I looked around it and on the inside of it. I looked at Eri, incredulously.

"Is this my car, my actual car? From you know?" I asked, "I was just asking because it looks like it, except its animized and looks like it did when I first bought it."

"Yes, this is your car." Eri answered, "We thought you might feel more comfortable in something you've driven before. Come on now, I'll show you where your house is." She floated through the door, and it was kind of creepy, but I guess I'd have to get used to it. Anyways, I entered the car to find that the cars keys were already in their place.

"I suggest you come up with a name for yourself." Eri suggested, "Until the right moment that is. And it should be soon…." I thought for a couple of seconds.

"Alright, I'll call myself Liberty." I said with a grin. Eri nodded in approval of the name. And as I was driving I couldn't help but think of everything that was going to go on. All I can say is…

Let the games begin.

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Alright, there you have it. Also, do you guys like the name Liberty? Does it suit with what Raina's goal is? I'm not so sure about it, but if you all like it then I have no qualms with keeping it. Just wanted to say that.

Review please!


	4. Planning It Out: Part 2

Hello! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. I wanted to thank all those who've reviewed, favored, and/or followed my story. It means a lot.

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_Expressing Yourself_

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Once I arrived to my house, and I quite liked it, I began to think about what I was going to do. And by that I mean how I was going to save L and defeat Light. There were a variety of options, but too many possibilities. I could end up as a Kira suspect, be made into some sort of accomplice of Kira. But these are if they involve Light and I. Nevertheless, I wanted to eventually meet L, which would lead to meeting Light, and then I could get to work.

"Best set up a reputation for yourself first." I thought. Before Eri and I had arrived to my new home, I took the liberty of buying a few new laptops. All hack-free, thanks to my expertise, and able to track anything I wanted, including a certain detective's Ip address. After all, how many people move from hotel to hotel without leaving Japan? Not too many.

"Have you made a decision yet?" Eri asked, floating into the living room. I was sitting on the couch, facing the opposite way, so you could say it caught me off guard.

"And where were you?" I asked, "You left almost immediately after we got here."

"Went to go speak to the King." She said, "Nothing of much importance. Just asking how things were going along." I stared at her for a moment, uncertain of the reliability of her words. Eventually I just stopped thinking about it.

"Eri, could you do me a favor?" I asked, "I was thinking about how I was going to go about all this saving business. I know who I'm siding with, I have no choice in the matter, but I still need to contact Light. So, I need a way to be able to do that." I turned towards her, "So I need for you to set it up so that I can contact Light and L via their laptops. I know how to hack into them, fortunately, and to make is so that they don't hack into my own and find out anything, even though they won't, but I still need a connection to theirs first."

"Sure, I can do that." She said, "But it's going to take about a day to do it, can't risk being seen by Ryuk you know?" I nodded, understanding.

"Yeah, also, I have already made my logo for myself." I said, "I'll show you." She floated up behind me before I clicked on the picture. It had the words Liberty in the middle, half was white and half was black, each with their corresponding background (White to Black, Black to White), and had the statue of Liberty on the two ends of "Liberty" one black and the other white.

"Nice." She complimented, "I like it. So, should I get started on the connection?" I nodded. Best start as soon as possible.

"Eri, what date is it?" I asked turning towards her, "I meant to ask earlier but it slipped my mind."

"Well, by your time, it's December 6th." She said. I nodded. L was closer to figuring out that Kira needed a face and a name to kill and is a possible student, given the schedule of their killings.

"Then there's Raye…." I thought. I wasn't sad at first when he died, but when I found out how he had a fiancé and how Light sent her off to her own death, I just cried. Literally I cried.

"How cruel can a person get?" I questioned myself, shaking my head. But there was something else, something that I didn't like about this whole game. It was the fact that I couldn't stop what was going to happen to Raye. He was essential to L progressing in the case.

Does that make me a bad person?

Does that make Raina a bad person? Because she won't save Ray Penbar solely for the reason that L needs him to move forwards in the case? Because I honestly don't see any way to actually save him and give L the hint that will move him forwards in the case.

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Anyways, all reviews are welcome. Except flamers, you can just stop here and never return. Ever….


	5. Taking the Slow Road

Hi! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. I hope you enjoy it

Important Note: If you haven't done so already, please, go back and reread all the chapters. There's something I've changed in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th chapters. And if you have to re-read those then you might as well re-read the 3rd chapter. That's all I'm saying….

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_Expressing Yourself_

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After giving Eri the order to come up with a way to connect my computer to Light and L's computers, without being caught that is, I decided to take a small tour of Tokyo. If I was going to be living here then I might as well know what it's all about, right? Right.

"So, where should I go first?" I wondered looking around. I was currently in one of the shopping areas of Tokyo, Shibuya I believe. Given how many teenagers are around, I would say I was right on point with my guess.

"I suppose a little clothing shopping won't hurt anyone." I thought peering into one of the stores. Walking inside I found myself grinning at all the variety of clothes and their colors.

"Hello! Welcome to Gap Clothing," A female assistant said coming up to me. "If you need any assistance feel free to ask me or one of the other assistants." I nodded, silently, and watched as they walked away. I wonder why Eri didn't tell me I would be able to understand Japanese.

"She's probably going to say because I'm so perceptive." I thought searching around. Picking up a dress I looked at myself in a nearby mirror. It complimented my figure and looked around my size, plus I liked the simplicity of it.

"Would you like to try on that, miss?" An assistant asked from behind me. Turning around I shook my head.

"No, I'm fine." I said. "Thank you." With a quick nod they went on about their business. Another thought came to my mind. If I could understand them then that means that I'm most likely speaking Japanese right now, even though I understand it as English.

"Well isn't that confusing?" I thought going around again, searching for more items. By the time I was done I had eight dresses, ten shirts, five pairs of pants and five skirts, six pairs of earrings, five bracelets, three necklaces, and several pairs of shoes. It was a lot, more than I've ever bought, but I needed it.

"Your total will be 10,600 yen." The cashier informed.

"Do you take credit cards?" I asked. "I'm new here so I was just wondering." He nodded so I handed him my card. After a few seconds he handed it back to me.

"Would you like some assistance with your items, miss?" He asked. I looked at everything I had. If I did it myself then it'd take more than one trip to my car.

"Thank you, I'd appreciate it." I said. He smiled and motioned for two men nearby to come and help me out. And by help out I mean carry everything I had to my car. I didn't even have to carry one thing, which kind of bothered me a little.

"Thank you gentlemen." I called out to them as they finished the job. They gave a smile before walking back to the shop. I turned back to my car.

"Okay, now where to go next?" I wondered before hearing a grumbling noise. I chuckled. Guess its lunch time.

"But where to go?" Taking out my phone, which thankfully worked here, I made my way to the GPS feature it had. I could see the names of the stores nearby, but I got nothing from them. Sighing, I put my phone away.

"Guess I'm going to have to drive around." I thought. After finding a place I was going to have to get a new phone maybe. I'm not entirely sure of the reliability of my phone right now. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have a spare one around after all, right? Right.

So, taking my seat as the driver, turning the car on, and waiting for it to warm up, I drove off down the street.

….

Surprisingly it wasn't that hard to find a restaurant in Tokyo. I had found one almost immediately leaving Shibuya. It was a little café, not too many people in it, but that's the way I liked it. Currently I was sitting near the back waiting for my food to be done.

"I could live this life." I thought with a smile. Then a thought came to mind.

What would I do if I stayed?

"I'm not too entirely sure." I scrunched my eyebrows in thought, "I mean it depends on how this all turns out, I suppose. If I fail the task then I'm forced to stay but if I don't then I have a choice of returning home or staying. So either which way I have the choice of staying here." But there's no telling what might happen along the line. I could die before I fail, or die whilst I'm succeeding, then again there's the thought that I could always just quit and stay, but that's not an option I want to pick.

"Nor do I want to think about what may happen to have that as an option." I thought. Suddenly the sound of bells rang in my ears. Looking over, I almost spit out my drink when I saw Matsuda walking in. When I was a teen he was my second favorite character. I wonder what he's doing here. Peeking from my book, that I thankfully had bought, I carefully watched him.

"He's leaning forwards a bit, a sign of possible weariness, then there's the fact that he looks a little under the weather. Hm…maybe he's sick." I thought, "I guess the whole Kira thing is getting to everyone." It would explain why he's out and about, or working, instead of at home trying to get better.

"Number 4!" The cashier called out, "Order number 4!" That was me. Getting up, I walked over to the counter and, just to not seem rude, I smiled at Matsuda. He gave one back, though it wasn't a full one.

"You seem tired." I commented taking my food. After thanking the lady I turned back to Matsuda, "Are you alright, sir?" He rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, work's just wearing down on us." He commented, "But I'll be fine, don't worry about me." I stared at him for a moment, stopping once he seemed uncomfortable.

"Well, don't stress yourself out too much." I suggested before walking off.

"Wait!" I smirked and turned around, my smirk now a smile.

"Yes?" I questioned. I noted the embarrassed expression on Matsuda's face. It was kind of adorable.

"Um…I never got your name." He said. I had to refrain from a full out smile, which would probably creep everyone out.

"You can call me Ana." I said. He smiled.

"Nice to meet you Ana, my name is Matsuda." I nodded.

"Nice to meet you too Matsuda, hopefully we'll see each other again." I said. "Don't wear yourself out now, you hear?" He chuckled.

"I hear you." I nodded and waltzed out of the café, a grin on my face. I never expected to meet Matsuda, or anybody who I would more than likely come in contact with later. But it was kind of good that I did though, huh? After all, first impressions are the best impressions. Don't you agree?

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I think that this was a really good chapter. Don't you all agree that this was good chapter? I do. And I think it was a better choice to have her meet Matsuda instead of the others first. After all, he is probably the nicest member on the task force in Death Note.

Anyways, all reviews are welcome.


	6. Dreaming Reality

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. I hope you enjoy it.

A/N: To the user whose name is AKIRA, if you see this, or anybody else, could you perhaps tell me what you/they meant in your/their review. If you're trying to say that the story is too short for your taste then I don't know what you mean by that because the story isn't finished yet. But if you meant the chapters individually then it's because I don't want to have a large word count and I want to pace myself with this, you know how some people are. Too many words= Bad turn out

Anyways, onto the story!

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_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

I was walking down a road, there was nobody around. It was kind of creepy alongside confusing but I didn't worry too much at the time.

"Where am I?" I thought looking around. The scene wasn't familiar but it wasn't a stranger either.

"Hello?" I called out. "Is there anybody out there?" Nobody answered. I sighed and kept trudging on hoping to come to some sort of end or at least a conclusion I could deal with.

"Dadadada…." I silently hummed to myself, trying to pass the time. Can time move in dreams? I think it can but it's more of a figment time movement than a reality time movement you know?

Looking down I saw a pebble. With nothing else to do I kicked it. I heard the pitter patter of it hitting the ground before it stopped with a small splash. Curiosity immediately took over me before I followed its path. Once I reached it, I found that I was in another area.

Looking behind me, I saw that the road wasn't there.

"Okay, now I'm definitely confused." I said to myself.

"Why are you confused?" I jumped and turned around, and then I froze. There, in front of me, was…well…me. But how could that be?

"Because this is your mind." She, or I, said. "You've been struggling with what your task is and in effect you've gone to the deepest parts of your subconscious to find the answer thus why you're seeing all this." She, I'm just going to say she, made a motion towards the surrounding area. I blinked and stared.

"That's impossible." I turned away, looking for another possible explanation or a way out of here. I was about to start walking when the other me blocked my way. It was then that I took notice to the clothing she had on. Basically it was all white.

"Now you know that's not true." She said, "You've done it before, but you just don't remember. It was when you were…." I held up a hand, killing her sentence.

"Don't say it." I said, "I know what happened." She smiled and lowered her hands to her lap.

"Then you know why you are here today, correct?" She said. I nodded.

"I kept thinking about it." I started, "I kept thinking about how many people died under Kira's reign, whether they deserved it or not. And then I thought about how I was supposed to stop him, which led me to thinking what exactly could I do to stop it. Then I thought about the people who died and helped push the case further down the line. Am I any better than Kira? He kills people, yes, but I know that they're going to die, when they're going to die, and who's going to kill them." I grit my teeth, "Why was I chosen for this, huh? To live here, knowing so much that could help the case, but yet I can't utter a word. I can only sit back and help win against Kira. What does that make me?"

"A hero." I looked over to see another me, leaning against a tree. This one was in all brown.

"A what?" I questioned. She chuckled and looked at me, a smile on her face.

"A hero." She repeated, "In this game there are sacrifices, it's the same for every game, there are sacrifices. It's up to you to determine how you're going to succeed though. You have three choices you can make. But no matter what, even if you don't have a choice, in the end it'll really matter because it's you who determines the future of the world." The white me nodded.

"Yes, brown is correct." She said, looking at me."They've given you the chance to be a hero, to save the ones this world needs, to be greater than the others. Because guess what?"

"What?" I asked. She smiled.

"You have what it takes." I thought for a moment before letting a small smile grace my face. It was true, wasn't it? I did have what it took to win.

"If you can't save the people who are destined to die." Brown said, "Try saving the ones you can help live." I thought about Ukita. He didn't need to die, L would've found out his information anyways. Thanks to the police who followed afterwards anyways…

"You're right, or I'm right." I said with a smile, "I can totally do this, not without help, but I can do this." They nodded.

"And that's what you need to keep hold of." White said, "Faith in yourself is the strongest faith you can have in the world. If you don't believe in yourself then…who do you believe in?" I was about to comment on that when everything got blurry. The last thing I heard was:

Believe….

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It wasn't supposed to end up like this…actually I didn't know where I was headed when I started this chapter, but I guess I do now

Review please.


	7. Taylor's Death

Hello! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. Please, enjoy the words.

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

I was sitting in front of my television, silently chewing on a bar of chocolate, when the broadcast came on.

"We'd like to apologize for this interruption. As of now we are bringing you a live broadcast from Interpol's ICPO." The rather nervous man said. "We now take you to the ICPO." The screen then changed to a well-dressed man with shaggy black hair. The name plate in front of him read Lind L. Taylor.

"Smart of L to do this, no?" Eri questioned from beside me. I didn't look at her but nodded in recognition of her question.

"Yeah, I mean he has the image that everyone expects him to have." I said, "Suit, hair, posture and all." Then I chuckled, "Funny how he's 100% opposite of that." Eri chuckled a bit before we both went back to the screen.

"I head up an international police task force, which includes all member nations. I am Lind L. Tailor, otherwise known, as L." I could imagine everyone, including Light, gasping and staring in shock.

"You know if it wasn't for the fact that I know this man is a fake, I would've totally called L an idiot." I commented. Eri nodded in agreement.

"Criminals around the world are being murdered by a serial killer. I consider this crime to be the most atrocious act of murder in history. I will not rest until the person or persons responsible are brought to justice. Kira, I will hunt you down. I will find you." He, "L", took a breath. The bomb drops.

"Kira, I've got a pretty good idea of what you hope to achieve here, plus what your goals may be as well." He gave a stony look, "However, whatever the case, what you are doing right now is…evil." And the bomb hits the ground.

A few seconds later the man started to convulse, holding his chest for the few seconds of life he had left. After a moment he slumped backwards in his chair, to all who were watching could most likely tell he was dead.

After a few men removed "L" from the screen, a new one popped up. It was an 'L' logo surrounded by pitch black darkness. I couldn't help but smile.

"I had to test this out just in case, but I, I never thought it would actually happen. Kira, it seems you can kill people without having to be there in person. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't just witnessed it. Listen to me, Kira. If you did indeed kill Lind L. Tailor, the man you just saw die on television, I should tell you that he was an inmate whose execution was scheduled for today. That was not me." A robotic, computerized, voice called out. I resisted the urge to say "duh" but instead opted to stay quiet. I leaned back in my chair a bit, an amused expression on my face.

"The police arrested him in absolute secrecy, so that even you couldn't know about him. It appears that you don't have access to these types of criminals. I thank you for the heads up." I chuckled a bit. When I read this and watched this at home I never realized how kind-of amusing it actually was.

"I guess being here changes what your prospective of everything is." I thought.

"Nevertheless, I assure you that L is real. I do exist." L continued. "Now try to kill me!" What a curve ball, don't you think so? I can't tell you the thoughts I had when I first looked/watched this. But it did leave me respecting him a lot more, which is something I suppose.

"What's the matter? Can't you do it?" L questioned. I could hear a bit of defiance in his computerized voice. "So there are some people you can't kill, huh? Hm…you've given me a useful hint. Thank you again. Since you've been so kind, let me return the favor. I'll tell you a little secret, okay? You see, even though this was announced as a worldwide broadcast the truth is that it was only broadcasted in the Kanto region of Japan." I had to stifle my giggles at this point. I could imagine, no wait, I knew what the look on Light's face was right now.

"He's gotcha good Kira." I commented. Then L went on about what he was going to do before this decision, but I decided to turn it off at this point. Eri looked at me.

"That was interesting." She commented as I stood up. After stretching a bit I smiled.

"Eri, I think it's time to get Liberty rolling, don't you think?" I asked. "I had the idea of bringing her into the game after L's broadcast, but I'll do it later. Maybe once L and the task force come together." She nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." She said. "It adds to that element of surprise in the game."

"Yep, also, you did make sure that we're connected to their laptops right?" I asked, curious. She nodded.

"Yes, it wasn't hard given the instruction you gave to me to do it." She commented, "Thankfully Light Yagami wasn't home when I set it up with his computer." I nodded.

"And with L?" I was just asking because I knew it would be harder to track him down and set up a connection with his laptop…wait…

I opened my mouth to speak. Eri shook her head.

"Don't worry, I know of the many computers L tags alongside him." She reassured. "They were all quite difficult to connect with but I got the job done. And neither L nor Light should be able to detect anything different." I nodded.

"Glad my cousin was a computer genius, hacking and all." I said with a smile, "If she was here I'd hook her up with Matt." My thoughts traveled the red-haired computer genius. I thought about his and Mello's deaths. It added to the long list of reasons for why Light should be defeated.

I yawned and looked at the time.

"I think I'm going to take a nap." I said, "You can stick around if you like." I made my way to my bedroom door, pausing before I entered.

"Eri?"

"Hm?" I looked at her.

"Would Ryuk be able to tell that I'm not from this world?" I asked, "If he does then I have a feeling he won't say anything to Light, just to keep the game interesting, but with Misa and Rem….that's a different situation. She's more likely to blab to Light that something's up with me." I thought for a moment, "But I don't think it'll be hard to get away from his questionings, after all, I can't die here right?"

"That's correct." She said, "The Death Note does not work on others who are not from this realm." I nodded and proceeded to walk into my room.

"Wait!" I looked back with an eyebrow raised.

"But there's another rule." She said, "You may not die from the death note's power, but you will feel the pain of whatever the writer wishes upon you. If they write you have a heart attack then you'll feel the pain of a heart attack. It was written to balance things out."

"Oh, I see." I said, "Thanks for telling me that." I then walked into my room, new thoughts swarmed in my head. No death but the Pain of death? I didn't quite know what to make of that.

"I'll think more on it later." I thought. For now I needed to focus on contacting Light and L.

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I don't know what to make of that new rule either. No Death but the Pain of Death instead? Sounds fair but unfair, don't you think? Anyways, I await your reviews. See you Saturday!


	8. Persuing

Hello! Welcome my fellow fans to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. I hope you enjoy this one.

A/N: I wanted to thank all that have reviewed, followed, and or favored my story again. It means a lot.

Now, onto the story!

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_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

I watched as Light and his "girlfriend" got on ahead of me on the bus, followed by Raye Penbar. I hadn't wanted to be here, knowing what would happen, but decided against it.

Anyways, they all sat to the back of the bus. So I decided to sit one seat beside, but ahead, of Raye. I tried not to notice Ryuk in the middle of the aisle, but that wasn't working too well. Thankfully Eri was smart and didn't disagree when I told her to stay at the house until I returned. That and I gave her three bags of oranges. Who knew Shinigami loved fruit so much?

Anyways, taking out my phone and headphones, I pretended like I was listening to music. I really wasn't, of course, so I could still hear everything that was going on around me.

I watched everything go by before a man stepped on the bus, Keiichiro Osoraeda that is. Once he took out his gun, is when I took out my headphones, eyes wide in fake shock. And then I ducked once he began to shoot.

"Everybody get down!" Raye yelled. I watched as he ran to tackled Keiichiro, who ran off the bus…only to get hit by a car. It was all Light's doing of course, but to anybody else but me here, it looked like an accident.

Anyways, I was about to exit when I bumped into Light.

"Oomph." I shook my head and looked at him. He looked at me with those cold, calculating, eyes.

"Sorry Miss." He said. "Are you alright? That was pretty scary scene." I just simply nodded before motioning for him to go ahead off the bus. He shook his head.

"No, ladies first, I insist." I simply shrugged before getting off. I was planning to stop by that café again before heading home. Who knows maybe I'll meet someone else there this time?

* * *

**1 week later**

* * *

I was at the station this time, waiting for a train. I knew this was the day that Raye died, but it didn't mean I had to like it.

Anyways, I was about to board the train, when it came, before seeing Raye come stumbling out. As caring as I was, I immediately ran over to him.

"Are you alright, sir?" I asked. He gasped gazing somewhere else. I followed his line of sight to see Light, standing in the train doors, as they were closing. His eyes widened as he looked at me, but I didn't let any expression befall my face. Luckily I'd been smart enough to wear a disguise again, though I didn't doubt he could still tell I was female. It's a part of my plan, of course. Why hide who I am? In gender terms that is.

Anyways, I looked back at Raye, who was lying dead now. I stared before standing up, taking my phone out. I called 911 and left a message about where the victim was before hanging up. If L tried to find me through that then he'd have a hard time seeing as how my name under this phone was addressed to someone who didn't exist in this life.

Sighing, I looked up into the corner where I knew L would be watching from. I chuckled before waving. Then I turned around and left, feeling satisfied with myself.

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There you go folk. I hope you enjoy it.


	9. Light

Hello! Sorry for the wait but I was kind of too busy yesterday to update. But I'm back now, so….enjoy the chapter :)

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_Expressing Yourself_

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• Light's POV •

As I set my bag of chips down I couldn't help but think of the events that occurred today. I had planned a visit to the police station but nobody was there, which was odd because usually someone is there. I would have to hack into my father's files, once again, to see what was going on.

So, turning on the computer, I waited for it to warm up before getting to work. I didn't get very far before the screen went black. Raising an eyebrow, curiously, I tried to figure out what was going on. That didn't take very long, for in the next moment a couple of words spread out over the screen.

_Hello….Kira…._

My eyes widened before shaking my head. There's no way this person could know I was Kira.

_Actually, you'll find that I do, Light _

I narrowed my eyes, fully suspicious now. Who was this person and what did they want?

_I just wanted to have a chat is all Kira-kun, nothing more, nothing less._

"How do you know me?" I questioned aloud. It was obvious this person somehow knew what I was thinking, which wasn't really probable. So, who says that they can't see me too?

_You're very bright aren't you? As expected of someone who's managed to not be captured by L yet._

"Flattery will get you nowhere." I commented.

_Same goes to you._

"Touché" I said, leaning back a little. "So, you know L, is that correct?"

_I do, but don't get any ideas. I'm not the type of person to break so easily. _

I chuckled. We'll see about that.

"So, I'm guessing that you've contacting him already, is that correct?" I questioned.

_No, but I'll be in touch with him later, don't worry. _

"Who says I'm worrying?" I questioned. There was nothing to worry about.

_I wouldn't be so sure about that._

I narrowed my eyes once again, "Who are you?"

_Call me….Liberty ;)_

The page closed, leaving me sitting there, a thoughtful look on my face. I had to work with this new information…perhaps to my advantage.

* * *

Did you like it? I was going to have her contact L first but decided to go with Light, since she's against him and all. But don't worry, she will soon meet L.


	10. L

Hello! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. Sorry for the wait, I would've updated yesterday but I hadn't a clue about how I was going to go about this chapter. Now, I do, so I'm ready to go if you are.

A/N: Now that I've started to do different POVs, I'm going to post whoever's POV it is throughout the story now, okay? Okay.

Now, are you ready? Alright, let's go.

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_Expressing Yourself_

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• Raina's POV •

I was sitting near my laptop, quietly waiting. It's been a few days since I've contacted Kira A.K.A Light Yagami and now I was on my way to contacting L. I just had to wait a few minutes for Eri to come back from his headquarters. It's been over 7 days since she's set up the connection between my laptop and his, so I needed for her to go and check it out again.

"The connection is still up." She informed, floating in through the ceiling. I could never do that, no matter how cool it was. Anyways, turning to my laptop, I started up my…secret…program.

"Are you going to contact L the same way as Light?" Eri asked, coming up beside me. I looked at her and shook my head.

"Nah, I'll just leave the image up there this time." I said. "I haven't had the chance to use it yet and I don't want it to go to waste." She nodded as I typed in a few things. A noise rang throughout the room before I let a grin fall on my face.

"And there we are." I said. "In just a few minutes, L and the taskforce will be live." I let a small chuckled escape my lips before I sighed.

This was too much fun.

• Author's POV •

-Headquarters-

The taskforce was currently standing before the man who called himself L. And, according to their facial expressions, it wasn't that hard to guess that they doubted that fact at the moment.

L scratched his ankle with his foot before looking at them, "I am L." The older looking man of the group held up his badge, as did the others.

"I'm Yagami, of the NPA"

"Uh, Matsuda."

"I'm Aizawa."

"Mogi."

"Ukita."

"Sorry we're late," Mr. Yagami started, "currently the five of us-" His sentence was cut short by a "bang" sounding from L. Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"What the hell was that?" Aizawa asked. It was obvious that someone was a bit peeved off.

"If I were Kira you'd all be dead by now Soichiro Yagami of the NPA." L said. "Now-"

"What's that?" Matsuda asked, pointing in a general direction. Everyone followed his line of sight, including L, to see a laptop. Aizawa hit him in the back of his head.

"It's a computer, idiot!" He insulted. Matsuda looked at him, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head.

"I know that!" He said. "I'm just wondering-"

"What is the image on the screen, am I correct?" A computerized voice sounded from the laptop. Everyone paused and looked at it.

"Um…." Matsuda started.

"Oh, there's no need to be confused." The voice said. "I'm just passing by, you know, digitally. Just wanted to check the scene out a bit." L, who'd been quiet for the most part, walked over to the device. He momentarily studied it.

"You won't find anything." The voice told him. He blinked.

"How'd you find this location?" He questioned. The computer let out a laugh.

"Easy." The voice said. "It's not that hard to track down a person who leaves his hotel without leaving Japan." L made a noise.

"You tracked my Ip address." He said.

"Yep." Then everything got quiet. "You know you all can sit down, right?" The others scrambled to sit down whilst L just moved to the nearby seat in his customary crouch.

"What do you want? Who are you?" He asked.

"To the first question, I want you to look at this for a moment." The screen on the computer changed to where on both sides of the screen was a different picture/character. On the right hand side was an apple and on the left hand side was L's customary symbol. "I want to pick who I like better, and trust me when I say that's a hard choice. Both sides are extremely intelligent and have ideas that I may or may not agree to, but I find them interesting at most."

"Who are you?" L asked again. There was silence in the room as everyone anticipated the next words.

"Well my game name is Liberty but you can call me Bella if you like."

• L's POV •

I was thinking about this new information, this woman who called herself Liberty. I was 99% certain that it was a woman. Her name, Liberty, somehow irritates me. I somehow knew that she knew it too.

There was also the issue of her knowing about the suicide notes, given the demonstration of her comparing Kira with an apple to myself with my customary letter.

"I also wish to warn you of something." The computerized voice, or Liberty, said. I looked at it.

"Go on."

• Raina's POV •

I sighed, knowing that the next part would probably gain me some percentage as Kira. But, I knew it would be low considering the fact that if I was Kira I'd have killed L and the others by now. So, I dropped the "I know all of your real names" bomb, the "I know what you all look like" bomb, and the "I know who Kira is and how they kill" bomb. To say that they were surprised was an understatement.

"How do we know you're not Kira?" Mr. Yagami asked. I shook my head, sadly.

"Because if she was Kira then she would've killed us already." L defended, or more so pointed out.

"Unless she's messing with us." Aizawa countered. I was silent before deciding to speak again.

"L, take your computer with you into the room behind you. I'm 100% certain that you'd want this to be private." The detective stared at the screen for a few seconds before complying with my request. I hummed a bit before he reached the room. After that, and placing the laptop down, he crouched in his customary style in a nearby chair.

"What is it that you wanted with me?" He asked. I smiled, even though he couldn't see it.

"None of them believe me so I'm going to give them the proof that they wanted, including you." I said. "Don't think I didn't notice the uncertainty wavering about in your eyes." He was silent for a moment.

"What made you choose me?" He asked. I already knew that he knew the answer to that question.

"Even though you already know, I will tell you." I said. "I chose you because of the simple fact that you're L. If anything your word is the highest word here, and they'll believe you no matter what because of that." Then I smiled. "Now, I'm going to write three things on the screen. You will most definitely recognize them." I got set to typing and with each word I noticed his eyes widen a bit. I resisted a chuckle as he got up with the computer at hand and walked back in to the room with the others.

"So?" Ukita asked. L looked at everyone and I couldn't help but feel a bit smug.

"Liberty is not Kira." He confirmed. "I have no doubt in my mind that if she was then she would've killed us all already." I silently clapped for myself.

"Well, now that we've gotten that all out of the way." I said. "I do believe that it's time for me to get going, but don't worry." I grinned. "You'll be hearing a lot more from me." I shut off from them and closed the program I was using. I then leaned back, feeling satisfied.

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Did you like it? I hope so, because it's currently 5:05 and I've been working on this for an hour. An hour!

But, it was worth it anyways. So, review at will.


	11. The Tapes

Sorry, I am sooooo sorry! I didn't mean for it to go over 5 days since I've updated. I've had this thing with my driver's test, school, and working on the other story. Man, I have a lot of ideas for that. –sigh- I love Doctor Who.

Anyways, let's head off into the abyss that is my story.

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

I was sitting down in front of my laptop, chips, dip, and a soda at hand. Today was the day that L would be watching the FBI tapes and I didn't want to miss a single thing. Especially once he saw Raye's tapes.

As the first of the videos played, I couldn't help but notice L looking quietly at his laptop every now and again.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention, detective?" I asked, smirking. He blinked.

"That is not the issue, I always have the time to watch it later, even though this is a more beneficial time. " He retorted. "I'm just curious as to what you're thinking of all this."

"Well, my thoughts exactly are that this doesn't seem like your usual killings of course." I commented. "And how the FBI agents died is also a mystery. Not so much the way the person killed them but as to how they were able to figure out how is in fact another mystery to add." I watched as L placed his thumb in his mouth, usually meaning he's thinking, before he turned back towards the tapes.

After that, and watching as L analyzed each video, we finally came to the one I was waiting for: Raye's video.

"How strange…." I muttered. I could almost feel all the eyes on me.

"What exactly do you find strange?" Mr. Yagami questioned. At the sound of his exhausted voice I felt a little bad. I had a home, a bed, and the ability to sleep. But they had to stay there, with L, all day and night working on the Kira case.

"I guess Justice has its price." I thought.

"Miss Liberty, you didn't answer the question." L's voice broke my thoughts. I looked back up at my computer screen, getting back into the game.

"Excuse me on that." I said. "But, as I was saying it's strange how Raye stepped onto the bus with a folder but came out empty handed. Wonder why that is?" L took another spoonful of the ice-cream he had before requesting that certain timelines be replayed.

"She's correct." L announced. "The folder is missing. And there's-"

"The fact that the Yamanote Line only takes an hour to complete its circuit." I smiled at L's frown. "That means that Raye wasn't actually going anywhere, or else he would've gotten there an hour earlier."

"Yes, my thoughts exactly." L said. I knew he was irritated that I interrupted him, but hey? I have to have fun somewhere or sometime whilst I'm here.

"And what do you mean about the envelope?" Aizawa questioned. L looked towards the computer, probably expecting me to answer. I smiled.

"You explain, I'll let you have this one." He replayed the part where Raye entered with the envelope.

"He's holding what appears to be an envelope when he passes through the ticket gate." He elaborated. He then played the part at his death.

"It's there under his arm! But the footage before his death it's gone! I can't believe that you caught that!" Aizawa said, looking towards the computer.

"I'm sure L here thought of the same thing, don't give me all the credit." I told him. L looked towards the computer, a thoughtful expression on his face. I looked away as if he was actually staring at me. When I turned back he'd already turned back around.

"Yagami-san, is there an envelope on Raye's list of personal effects?" L questioned. There was shuffling around for a moment.

"No."

"There's a possibility that he left it on the train." I inferred.

"And what about the person who ran over to him?" Matsuda questioned.

"Of no importance, probably just a person passing by who saw him." Aizawa said. I shook my head.

"I wouldn't quite be so sure of that." I commented. "Don't you think that it's odd that the person didn't recoil from the person on the train?"

"Why would they recoil?" L looked at the computer. I smirked again.

"Are you perhaps implying, Liberty-san, that Kira was onboard the train?" He questioned.

"Sure, let's go with that." I answered. "And here's another question to crack: What if this person had already met Kira, knew how they worked, and was well…not afraid of them?"

"Are you implying-"

"Watch the rest of the video and you'll find out." I interrupted. L blinked before turning back around towards the tapes. His thumb was in his mouth, so it slowly lowered once he saw the ended. I sat back in my chair, holding back laughter.

"Why did they wave?" Matsuda asked.

"And why is it in the perfect spot of where we're watching?" Aizawa asked. All their eyes suddenly turned towards the computer. I smiled.

"Well, there's your answer." I said. "Now, I have to be going now. I hope you all have a good day." I then closed the window and the program.

"Now you have them curious." Eri said, coming up behind me. I looked at her.

"I know."

* * *

Well that was a fun chapter to right. I wonder what L and the taskforce think of Liberty now? If you have any questions, or answers for that question, please feel free to review about it.


	12. A Sweet Surprise

Hello! I'm baaaaacccckkk! I hope you enjoyed that little vacation from my stories whilst I was being miserable not being able to update them….

Anyways! Let's move on shall we?

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

I stabbed my cake with my fork. Sighing, I ran my hand down my face.

"Now what am I supposed to do?" I wondered. I looked down at the book I'd given up on earlier. I'd read it three times already, and already knew the ending, but I just wasn't up to finishing it today.

"Why don't you go down to that café you always go to?" Eri suggested. "It might take your mind off of things." I stared at her for a moment.

"That's…that's a good idea." I said making my way towards the door. "I'll be back, there are some oranges in the fridge if you want them, but don't eat them all." I gave her a look before leaving the room.

As I was walking down the hallway, I couldn't help but think about the To-Oh University entrance exams. The day would be coming up where L finally tells Light that he is in fact….L. I wanted to be there for that, that's what I've already planned.

But would I tell my secret too? Or is it too early in the game to tell?

* * *

-12-

* * *

With a slight _ding_, I opened the door to the café. The sweet, sweet, smell of various delights immediately hit me. So did the slight growling of my stomach.

"What to get? What to get?" I wondered walking up to the display counter. I didn't turn to look back as another _ding_ filled the shop, nor did I bother to see who it was.

"Hey….." I froze, tensing up a bit as I turned around. There, in front of me, once again, was Light Yagami.

"Hey…." I said, truly surprised. "You're the guy from the bus. How have you been since then?" He smiled. It truly did seem genuine.

"Fine, I can say less for my mother, but I've been good." He said. "How about you?"

"It's been good for me too." I answered. "So what are you doing here?" I turned back towards the display counter. I still hadn't chosen what I wanted. There was so much to choose from.

"Oh, just getting an order for my sister." He said. Yeah, that's right, he did have a sister….Sayu Yagami. I remember her getting kidnapped in a later episode. It was one of the few times that I did feel sorry for Light.

I tuned back in to see Light staring at me. I smiled, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Did you say something?" I asked.

"Yeah, I said I never got your name. Mine's Light by the way." I nodded.

"It was nice to meet you Light, you can call me Ana." He smiled once again, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"So, what brings you here?" He asked.

"Oh, you know, I need something sweet to eat." I said. "And I don't feel like cooking anything. Besides, these pastries are amazing." He chuckled.

"I wouldn't know, I don't eat too many sweets, but my sister loves this place."

"Does she now?"

"Yeah…well….I'd better go get her order or face her wrath. So I guess I'll be seeing you around, huh?" I turned around to look at him. I gave a small smile.

"Yeah, I'll see you around." I watched him walk away before shaking my head.

I'm going to need more than just sweets now.

* * *

Well, did you like it? I've got to say that I've improves on my formatting a bit though, right? Anyways, I would like you all to answer the question that is in this chapter: Should Raina reveal herself as Liberty during the entrance ceremony? Or should she keep it in the dark a bit longer?

You decide!


	13. About Liberty

_Expressing Yourself_

Light's POV

* * *

That woman I kept running into. I don't know why but I felt oddly a bit wary around her but yet at the same time she intrigued me.

Although she did seem a bit more wary around me, from my observation that is, and I couldn't help but wonder why.

"Maybe I'm coming on a bit too strong." I thought, resting my head on my hand for a moment. I was studying for the To-OH entrance exams. It was a little ways ahead but there was no need to not start early, right?

Speaking of which, I wonder if Ana's going to be there. I wanted to keep an eye on her…or at least know why she seemed suspicious around me.

I chuckled, "It's not like she knows I'm Kira, right?" I laughed again, only a bit louder. What a ridiculous thought.

"All I need to focus on is L and I can deal with her later." I thought, a smile forming on my face.

* * *

-Headquarters-

L's POV

* * *

I began to nibble at my thumb, my thoughts on the new player in our game: Liberty. I could tell that she knew a lot about the case and though that was enough to deem her as an enemy…she could also be an ally. I'd thought about forcing the information from her, but then she could reveal the necessary information that Kira needs.

"I need more information." I muttered. But how? The only place I could obtain said information was from my own laptop, which had been hacked into. I tried having Watari to track it back to its source, but there was no avail.

She was smart. Not just "smart" but _dangerously_ smart.

She had all the information I needed, so I needed to keep her close. If only I knew what she looked like or better yet where she lived, then I could set up the necessary plan.

Though I had a suspicion that she had something to do with the interesting ending to Raye Penbar's video. The task force thought it was her, and though it was logical, I had to think of other possibilities as well.

It could be an assistant of hers for all we know. BUT, if it was her then I'd find out in a few hours. I had Watari find out where the figure's clothing was from, which was the easy part. Now all that was left was to find out who bought that type of clothing in the last three weeks.

Though I couldn't help but think it wouldn't be that easy.

After all, it never _is_ that easy.

* * *

Oooohhh! I wonder what Light's going to do? And what about L, hmm? Will he found out who Liberty is or do you think she'll trick him into thinking otherwise? Who knows?

See you all later!


	14. The Exams

Hello Everybody! You won't believe what I've had to go through for these past few days…I couldn't hear naught a thing from anybody….weeellll…I could but it sounded like they were whispering and my ears were slightly closed up on the inside.

Now I'm better! So here's your chapter

Enjoy.

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

Today was the day. The day that would determine the events that would play out in the future.

"Are you nervous?" Eri asked Raina as she walked up the stairs. She was on her way to take the entrance exams. She didn't really have to but it would make things a whole lot easier.

"Surprisingly I'm not." She responded. "And that's because I hate these kinds of test."

"Why?" Eri questioned, looking around a bit. She was a bit wary being out in public like this, considering that Light Yagami and Ryuk would be here also.

Raina looked up at the shinigami, "You don't have to be here you know." She told her. "If you feel like you're going to get caught then you have _every_ right to leave."

Eri shook her head, "No, I should stay around you more often than I normally do." She looked at Raina. "The Shinigami King ordered me to on my last visit. He said that I need to stick around in case something happens to you, especially since you didn't accept the Death Note offer."

Raina smiled, "Well of course I wouldn't, and I won't subject myself to that level..." She paused for a moment. "…yet that is…"

She and Eri chuckled as Raina went through the doors. She was just on time, as everyone was filing into the room they'd be testing in. She looked behind her to make sure that Ryuk wasn't around to see Eri, who opted to stay and watch from outside.

"Ana." Raina jumped and turned around. She gave a smile once she saw who it was.

"Light! I expected to see you here." She told him as they walked towards the testing room. Given how many people were taking this test, it would take a bit of a while to get everyone inside.

"Why is that?" He questioned, curiously.

"Well, I took you as the educational type and through reasoning I assumed you'd be here." She shrugged. She didn't notice Light's expression change.

"Interesting…." He thought.

"So," He started up again. "How do you think you'll do on the test?"

She shrugged, "It should be easy, and they all are to me." She leaned over, like she was telling a secret. "Test taking is like second nature to me." She straightened back up. "But I don't like these kinds of test though."

Light looked at her, curiously, "How come?"

She looked at him, "Simply because of the fact that they dumb it down for you to the point in which it's ridiculously easy." She frowned. "Like we're a bunch of dumb kids who don't know what we're doing."

Light chuckled behind her. She was definitely interesting now….

* * *

-14-

* * *

Raina's POV

I was sitting in my chair with my head flat down on the table. I had finished the test a couple of hours ago and I was sooo bored now. The only interesting thing had been when I caught L looking at me, though he didn't know that I'd caught him.

"Probably saw me talking to Light earlier." I concluded. I could've always gone the way of him figuring out that I was the one at the end of Raye's video, but that was near a 5% possibility. Why? Because I made sure that the people I bought that specific outfit from wouldn't tell a soul I was there.

I smiled, "This is too much fun."

"Hey Light." I looked up to see Ryuk standing over near Light. When he looked at me I placed my head on my hand, pretending that I didn't see him.

"What?" Light questioned. He too must've finished his test.

"That girl…over there…." He pointed towards me. "Something's up with her name. It's in a different color."

Okay, at this moment, I was resisting the urge to laugh out loud or severely panic. Though I was truly surprised, mostly because this hadn't occurred to me at all.

"I'm going to have to have a chat with Eri later on." I thought. I looked up to see Light and Ryuk staring at me. I smiled and waved at Light before looking back down.

"He's going to try and talk to me later." There was doubt in my mind about that.

* * *

-14-

* * *

And I was right, just as soon as the test were over Light came up beside me. I gave him a smile.

"So, what do you think of the test now?" He questioned.

"Like I said before, it's been dumbed down to the point in which it is ridiculously easy. And due to that fact I finished in about two hours and spent the rest of the time bored." I told him.

"Yeah, I kind of see what you meant there now." He commented. I gave him an "I told you so" look before walking down the steps. Light continued to trail behind me.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything." I told him, turning around. "But why are you following me?"

He gave a fake nervous smile, "I was just wondering if perhaps you'd like to meet me at that café we met at earlier. I'd like to get to know you better, Ana." I stood there, straight faced for a moment.

You know if it wasn't for the fact that I almost hate his guts, not literally of course, but still, he wouldn't make a bad friend. I would never date him of course, knowing how he treats Misa later on and the cheating with Takada situation.

"I would love to join you there." I said, noticing L walk by us. I could see him take a glance at us for a moment before continuing on. "But I have other stuff I have to do. And I have to talk to someone about something very important. But…." I sighed internally. "I can take a rain check, if you'd like."

He nodded, "Sounds like a plan. I guess whenever we're both free we can go down there, alright?"

I nodded, "Alright. " I gave a smile. "I'll see you later Light." I waved goodbye before turning around, eyebrows furrowed.

* * *

-14-

* * *

Once I reached my house and closing the door behind me, I slid down to the floor. Eri, who'd gotten here before me, moved over to me.

"What's wrong?" She questioned. I looked at her.

"I think I just accepted a date with Light at a later date…." I murmured. "And then there's the fact that L's probably gotten a percentage on me with Liberty and as Ana, who he doesn't even know yet." I placed my head in my lap. Then I popped it back up, grinning.

"I know what to do!" I said. "All I have to do is just lower my percentage with Ana, which is probably low, and when L finds out that I'm Liberty then he'll lower that Kira percentage too…or raise it out of suspicion."

"If it works you'll be killing two birds with one stone, is that correct?" Eri questioned. I nodded before I frowned.

"Eri, I heard Ryuk talking today and he said that my name was a different color than everyone else's." I told her. "I already concluded that it was because I'm from another world, am I correct in saying that?"

She nodded, "Yes."

I nodded, "Does it show my real name? Or some other name?" I asked.

"Your real name."

I put it in my thoughts to worry about Misa blurting out my real name later on.

"Do I have a birth date or a death date?"

"No, because you weren't born of this world so technically you don't exist here." I wasn't too sure of how I should feel about that.

"Alright…um…." I thought for a moment. "You said that If my name was written down in the death note then I would feel the pain of whatever was wished upon me but wouldn't die." I paused. "But how can it kill someone who technically doesn't exist in this world?"

Eri stared at me before she chuckled. "No one has ever asked that question before you."

I raised an eyebrow, "So you don't know the answer?"

She shook her head, "Nope, only the King would know the answer to that. I'll ask him when I go back up there next time." I nodded.

"Alright, those are all the questions that I have." I smiled. "For now….But! They won't be hard to answer, I promise."

"I highly doubt that."

I laughed.

* * *

Oooohhh! Raina's accepted a later on date with Light. I wonder how that's going to turn out. Also there's the problem with L now, he's more than likely suspicious of her as Ana given her time spending with Light.

Anyways, if you have any questions you'd like for Eri to answer, that have not already been asked, then please feel free to post them in the reviews section. I'll try and have as many as I can answered, okay?

Alright! See you all Monday!


	15. The Ceremony

Hello! I hope you've all had a great Christmas and are ready for a new chapter of _Expressing Yourself_. I know I said that I'd update but my head feels kind of funny, I just can't explain it, but I really don't think I should be pushing myself to think of a new chapter now. Maybe tomorrow will be good.

So, sit back, read, and enjoy the show!

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

Raina, who was currently at the entrance ceremony, couldn't help but look around a bit as she waited for them to call her name. She also couldn't help but notice that Light, and L, kept sneaking a few peaks at her.

"They're either wondering why I'm sitting up here…or thinking about my future relations to the Kira situation." She thought, amused. "On another note, if they are thinking about why I'm sitting up here, I get to shatter their stereotypical minds about girls being less intelligent than guys…especially themselves.

Anyways, I followed L and Light as they got up to get on stage. I see their tensed postures as they tried not to look back at me.

Though, once we got on stage….

"Ana-san, just for curiosities sake…" Light looked at me. "But why are you up here?"

I smiled and looked at him, "Remember how I said that these test have been dumbed down to the point in which they were ridiculously easy?"

He nodded.

"Well do the math genius." I told him, turning back to the front. Though, I did take a sneak peek at L to see him chewing on his thumb in thought.

I gave myself a little mental pat on the back.

* * *

-15-

* * *

Light's POV

It took me a moment to process what she said. Then it came to me. She had gotten a score equivalent to me and Ryuuga. I had thought she was just playing tough when she told me her opinion on the test.

I gave a little smile, "Interesting…." I thought. Then my thoughts traveled elsewhere, to a slightly horrifying thought.

What if Ana was L? I mean it would make sense and it'd be the perfect disguise. Everyone, including myself, all assume that L is male.

"But would he, or she, reveal himself or herself to me?" I questioned myself. "After all I am a Kira suspect." I thought for a moment. No, whoever L was, they wouldn't do that. It'd be idiotic and L definitely wasn't the idiotic type. Not that I'd ever admit that as Kira.

Then there was Ryuuga. I've deemed him intelligent enough….hmm….maybe he could help me. But, just to take precautions, it would be best if I see how he views Kira.

Hm, now that I think about it, perhaps Ana could help me as well.

"I'll just have to ask them later." I thought as I finished my speech. I gave a smile and a slight nod as I walked off the stage. I turned my head slightly to watch as Ryuuga came up to the podium. I noted Ana's amused expression.

* * *

-15-

* * *

L's POV

As Light was giving his speech, my thoughts traveled to the woman beside me. Ana was her name, as given by Light. I'd seen her talking to Light after the entrance tests. And she had also noticed me too, as her eyes at quickly looked at me as I was walking past them. She seemed amused by that fact though. I couldn't help but wonder why.

And then there is today. She's obviously of great intelligence, given how she's currently up here with us on stage. And her opinion on the test, which I can't help but admit, amused me. She's obviously taken test like these before…and I have to agree, they are rather ridiculously easy.

I gnawed on my thumb for a moment, in deep thought, before I decided. I have no doubt in my mind if I confronted Light today that she would overhear our conversation. And it didn't help that she was sitting on one side of me.

But, I would go through with it. I wanted to see their reactions to my confrontation, as well as myself as L. If all goes well I might just gain two allies, one of which may possible be Kira, but that problem as already been though through.

After I gave my speech, I walked down the stairs. I took a quick peek at Ana and Light, who was sitting in his seat, before Ana came up to the podium. I noted the amused expression on her face.

* * *

-15-

* * *

Raina's POV

I was amused. No, not at the ceremony or the speeches given. But at the fact that L and Light kept sneaking glanced at me whenever they could. It was highly entertaining albeit a bit annoying, but entertaining at most.

Anyways, after L stepped down from the podium, I walked up. I could see some of the expressions on the audiences faces. Some ranging from confusion, to shock, to admiration, and some were just blank. But that didn't matter.

I smiled as I started my speech.

* * *

-15-

* * *

Author's POV

As Ana was giving her speech, she didn't take in the fact that almost everyone was reeled in to what she was saying. At first she started out with just telling them who she was, but that wasn't as long as everyone expected it to be. For she suddenly dropped it and started to talk about how they shouldn't be so surprised at the fact that a _girl_ was on the stage, and how she saw some of their expressions when she walked up there. The girls and some of the guys in the crowed clapped whilst some of the other guys looked embarrassed. She noted a slightly guilty expression on Light's face.

After that she continued on to talk about the other people in the crowed, the new members of To-Oh. These were her exact words:

"First of all, don't be discouraged because you didn't make it to the top. Because there's always the chance of you catching up, I believe that every one of you can do it." Then she smiled. "Hey, maybe one day you'll be up here giving a speech." Then she winked playfully, to which a few people chuckled at.

"There are tons of opportunities here, I'm assured of, and I don't have any doubt in my mind that this will be a great experience for you all and me too. And I hope that I'll remember my time here as special. And that no one will lose sight of how special it can be." Everyone one was quiet as she suddenly grew serious.

"This isn't the first time that I've been to college, nor to a university." She laughed. "I had a few people tell me that I wouldn't make it, so now look at me. I'm at one of the top universities in Japan. I wish I could see their faces." She grew quiet at this, obviously in thought.

"Anyways, I wish you all great luck today, tomorrow, as you go on in your lives. But wish me luck too, because the experience _won't _be easy. But that doesn't mean it won't be fun." Then smiled and waved as everyone clapped.

As she walked off the stage, she could feel the tons of eyes on her.

"That was an incredible speech Ana." Light commented as she sat down. She gave him a smile.

"Thank you Light."

"I have to agree with Yagami-san." L commented, speaking to her for the first time. "That was quite the exceptional speech you gave Ana-san."

She stared at him for a moment, quiet. He and Light briefly wondered what she was thinking before a grin plastered itself across her face.

"Why thank you Ryuuga-san." She told him. He gave her a nod before turning to the front.

Now it was time for the confrontation…

* * *

-15-

* * *

L's POV

After Ana-san's speech my respect for her grew to a considerable amount, and that's only been in the past hour. Not too many people can accomplish that, not any that I know anyhow.

Nevertheless, as she sat down next to me Light gave her his compliments to her speech and as did I. She was quiet, staring off into space for a moment before smiling and thanking me.

Now, it was time for another topic.

"Yagami-san," I started. "You are the son of Detective Superintendent Soichiro Yagami of the NPA. I've noted that your deep sense of justice is matched only by your father. You aim to reach a leadership position in the NPA yourself, and you also, in the past, have provided insights that have led to the solutions of several cases. And, right now, you are showing a great deal of interest in the Kira case." I turned slightly towards Ana-san.

"Ana-san, thought I may not have known you long, today you have shown great intelligence, one to rival my own and Yagami-san's, but you also have a strong opinion when it comes to certain subjects, am I correct?"

She nodded.

"I thought so, and in those qualities, you have made me curious." I paused for a moment, taking in their expressions. "So, today, if you swear to me that you'll never tell a soul, I shall place my faith in your sense of justice Yagami-san and your abilities Ana-san and tell you something of high importance to the Kira case."

"You're serious aren't you, Ryuuga-san?" Ana-san questioned. I looked at her.

"Very."

She nodded, "Then I swear on my life that I won't tell a soul." She winked. "You can count on me."

"I also won't tell anyone." Light spoke. "So, what is that you have to tell us."

I looked between them both for a moment.

"I wanted to tell you that I am L" I whispered.

* * *

I think this is one of the few Death Note stories that have an actually Freshman Address speech somewhat written out. Because I don't think they showed the speeches in Death Note, and if they did, someone would've written it out already.

Anyways! How do you think Raina will react to L confessing his identity to her? But don't worry as she won't admit that she's Liberty…yet…

And then there's Light, whose respect and interest in her is growing the more he spends time with her. I wonder where that'll lead to. I wonder how Misa will react to her.

Hehehe….that will be fun to write.

Now! I bid you all adieu and I'll see you all tomorrow.


	16. Tennis and a Test

Hello! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. I want to thank all of my reviewers for well…reviewing. It's nice to know that you all like this story.

Important Update: I have currently put up what would be the intro for this story. If you want to see it, and I recommend that you do, then please check the link in my profile. P.S: It does not have Raina included in it for she is an "Invisible" character and doesn't need to be in it. And...I'm not that good at that kind of animation yet. But if I do somehow get Raina to be included in it then I will tell you. But for now just enjoy what I've done, okay?

Now, let's begin shall we?

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

Raina's POV

I was standing outside of the Tennis Court, having been invited by L, to watch the legendary tennis match. Some people say that it was a sign of who was going to win in the Kira vs. L battle. I never agreed to that.

"Are you sure that you don't want to play winner, Ana?" Light asked me from his spot on the court.

I shook my head, "No, I don't think I will." I said. "Maybe some other time."

"I'll keep that in mind." He called back before turning to Ryuuga, or L as he revealed. I was honestly shocked when he told us that…no…I was shocked that he told _me_ that. I mean I hardly know him in this persona, but so much in the other, and for him to decide to tell me in _this_ persona and trust me with that information is well….highly suspicious.

"I wonder if he's up to something." I thought turning to look at L, watching him carefully. But I quickly turned around, pretending to watch Light as he looked at me.

* * *

-16-

* * *

Eri's POV

Hidden behind a nearby tree, I watched as what humans called a "Tennis Match" begin. I looked over to see Ryuk jump out of the way as the ball came towards him. I shook my head.

Eventually the place began to get crowded. And I just had to smile at Raina's uncomfortable expression at everyone surrounding her. Even more so at the conversation that followed.

* * *

-16-

* * *

Raina's POV

As the crowd surrounded me I felt myself tense up. It wasn't for the fact that there were a lot of people here, but the fact that they were all surrounding me like they were. I resisted the urge to say that this isn't a concert to all of them.

"Ryuuga-kun surprises me every time I see him." A voice commented beside me. My eyes slithered over their way to see a fairly average girl with brown locks and a freckled face. She turned towards me.

"Don't you agree Ana-san?" She asked.

I shook my head as I turned back around, "Eh...I can't really say much towards that." I said.

"I can understand." She responded. "But what about Light?"

I shook my head, "Nope." I answered.

"Oh, that's too bad…." She muttered. "You two would make a cute couple."

I froze.

"Ana-san?" She called. "Are you alright?" After her comment I had bent over in a heaving/throwing up position.

I stood up and stared at her, "Please, for the sake of my health, **never** say that again." I said.

She just laughed, "You're funny Ana-san." She said before looking down. "Maybe Ryuuga-kun…."

"That's even worst!" I exclaimed, flailing my arms a bit.

She just laughed again.

I shook my head, aggravated. Then I turned around to see Light send an offensive strike towards L and at that moment I decided to close my eyes at the oncoming defeat.

"Whooo! Go Ryuuga-kun!" The girl beside me shouted. I quickly opened my eyes to see L hit the ball, that he should've missed, back to Light, who missed it.

I gaped like a fish.

"What?" I quietly questioned. "How? How on earth did he not miss that shot!?"

"Apparently Ryuuga is great a tennis too." The girl beside me said, grinning at his win. However I continued to gap even after the crowd started to disperse around me.

"Ana?" Light said coming up to me.

I just sighed, rubbing my aching cranium as I tried to figure out what just happened. L was supposed to miss that shot like in the anime but he didn't so…..what happened?

Suddenly my eyes widened, "I wonder if…." I thought before shaking my head. No, that's not possible, is it?

Before I could answer my question I felt someone shaking me.

"Ana, are you okay?" Light asked, continuing to shake me.

"What? Why are you shaking me?' I asked a bit irritated.

He raised an eyebrow but let go of me, "I was trying to get your attention for the past minute." He said. "What were you thinking about?"

I shook my head before turning to look at L as he walked over to us.

Light turned his attention to him, "You know I'm surprised you won against me Ryuuga-san." He admitted.

"You and me both." I thought.

Even L agreed, "Yes, I do suppose that it seemed unlikely I would win against you. Especially with that shot you sent towards me." He concluded. "But it was just a game, nothing more, nothing to get worked up over."

Light nodded, "Yeah…." He agreed before smiling. "I'm feeling kind of thirsty and there's something I wanted ask you. Would you both like to go somewhere for a drink?"

I blinked before realizing what was about to happen. I thought about the question L was going to ask and Light's father.

Sighing internally I looked up to see L and Light looking at me. I smiled sheepishly at letting my thoughts run me over yet again.

"Yeah, um, I'll go with you too." I quickly replied.

"Did you…." L started.

"Yeah, you suspect that Light is Kira, right?" I asked. "I heard you. I didn't go that deep into my thoughts, just to clarify."

Light stared at me for a moment before nodding, "Alright, let's go." He said before walking off. L and I followed after him.

* * *

-16-

* * *

Light's POV

I held open the door to the coffee shop as "L" and Ana entered. My thoughts traveled to Ryuuga's, or "L's", intentions when he told Ana that he was L. I wasn't too entirely sure that he was in fact who he claimed to be. I wondered if Ana thought the same, though she did seem pretty calm about the whole situation when it came pass. But she seemed like that type of person, I suppose.

Anyways, as "L" and I headed towards the booths, Ana headed towards another table nearby. She grabbed one of their stools and placed it between where "L" and I sat soon after. I raised an eyebrow at the action.

What was she trying to play at? If she was playing at something that is…

After we all ordered our drinks I turned towards the two, "This is my favorite coffee shops in the area you know." I commented. "And if we sit here then there's no chance of anyone overhearing us."

"Well thanks for showing us this place, Light." Ana told me.

Ryuuga nodded, "Yes, I thank you as well." He said. "I can see why you like it."

"Not to mention that this place is so out of the way that here, nobody is going to give you a hard time on how you sit." I told him.

He didn't look at me, "I don't sit like this because I want to." He admitted. "If I sit normally then my deduction skills will reduced roughly by 40 percent." He looked up. "So, what is that you wanted to ask us?"

"Right, well, my question for you can wait until you're convinced that I'm not Kira." I admitted. "You can go first though, ask anything you like."

He was just about to speak when a non-familiar ring echoed near us. I looked at Ana as she smiled sheepishly before quickly pulling out her phone. Her expression soon changed from embarrassed to confused, deeply if I must say.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" I questioned though I was trying to decipher what her ringtone was. It was a soft piano tone, I could figure out, but I wasn't sure where it was from.

"Hello?" I heard her ask, hesitantly I must add. Then her expression changed to irritation. "I told you that you need to handle that. Who cares if he's bringing his new wife? She's nice, okay?" She paused for a moment. "Weeellll….I might not be able to come to the reunion."

She held the phone away from her ear as a loud "What?" echoed from the other end.

Carefully she held the phone back to her ear, "I have other business to attend to and don't exactly have the time to come back home." She explained. After a moment the irritated expression came back. "Look you'll just have to deal with that because I'm not going to be your middleman or the peacemaker between you two. Work. It. Out." After that she closed the phone, signaling the end of the conversation.

"Who was that Ana?" I asked.

She looked at me and shrugged, "Just my mother." She simply said before looking at "L". "Sorry for the interruption Ryuuga-san, please, continue."

I looked at him as he stared at her for a moment, then he turned towards me, "Alright, as I was saying…." He started. "Would it be alright if I tested both of your detective skills?" He looked at Ana on this.

She nodded, "Sure, try your best." She said.

He turned towards me.

"Yeah, sounds like fun." I said. Oh how fun this will be….please note my sarcasm.

After a moment L took out some photos. I stared at them, interested now.

* * *

-16-

* * *

Raina's POV

As L took out the photos I resisted the urge to grin. I remember when he first watched this scene and soon after was able to conclude that there were four notes, not three.

"Okay, first I'd like for you two to look at these…." He spread the photos across the table. They were pictures of 'suicide notes' that the Kira victims left before they died.

Light picked up all three of the photos, thinking for about a minute or three, before moving them over to me. I copied his action before placing them back down again.

"Interesting…" Light commented. "If Kira can truly manipulate not only the death, but also the actions of people prior to death, it'd be amazing. In fact, these messages contain hidden message for you, as if to taunt you." He placed the photos on the table. "If you take only the top letters from each sentence and read it from left to right it creates another sentence. Arranging it in that way it'd be..." Light arranged the photos." "L, do you know gods of death love apples." I guess, but there are also print numbers on the back of these photos , if you place them in that order..." Light re-arranged the photos. "L do you know, love apples Gods of Death." That seems rather un-natural and I find it rather hard to believe that Kira wanted you to read it that way." Light smiled, he seemed happy with his conclusion.

L looked at me and I stared at him for a moment before smiling, "I do agree with Light here, Ryuuga-san. But…." I grabbed the photos. "Due to the print numbers on the back, like Light said, it would read 'L do you know, love apples Gods of Death' which **could** be the answer, but it also hints that the message may be incomplete."

L leaned a over a bit eagerly now, "You seem so certain that the other message is Kira's intended message, Ana-san." He said.

I nodded, "Yes and if I were Kira I would know the exact number of notes that I needed to convey my message." I grinned. "And I think that you placed the print numbers on the back to distract Kira and have reason for him to throw out the possibility of the other message without completely giving away the fact that whoever they are is Kira." I took a mental picture of the small smile etched on L's face now. "So I believe that there is in fact a fourth note which will allow you to lock in on Kira even further." I took a breath. "Kira wouldn't consider the possibility of a fourth note because of the simple fact that they had to be the one to have caused all the notes to be written, is that correct? And they wouldn't have even thought any more of second meaning, probably having a reason to dismiss it quickly."

L nodded, "Amazing." He muttered. "Your deductive skills are quite extraordinary, Ana-san." I felt a slight blush spread across my face. "I had expected you to at least agree to what Yagami-san said but not much else to tell you the truth." He seemed lost in thought now. "But you've gone way beyond my expectations…"

I stared at him, "But I'm not Kira if that's what you're thinking about." I said.

He looked up at me, "You're reasoning?" He asked.

I blinked, "Despite the fact that interpreted the message correctly, "I began. "Even though I hinted that the other message was the correct one, I still attempted to see through any possible traps that lied ahead. So, why was I sure that the first one was correct, hm?" I gave a small smiled. "The second translation could've been correct as well and I'm sure that you would've let me go on believing the fourth note was real, if I had given you reason for why it was more than likely real. However I'm sure that Kira would've been 100 percent sure that there were only three notes."

L stared at me for a couple of minutes and I returned the gaze, unwavering.

"Do you want me to believe that you are Kira, Ana-san?" He asked after a moment. I raised an eyebrow. Was that disappointment I detected?

I shook my head, dismissing the thought, "Not at all, Ryuuga-san." I looked up. "And though I want to give you reasons for why I'm not, it wouldn't help at all. I would rather be innocent and come up with reasons to suspect me than to be guilty and come up with meaningless reasons for why you shouldn't." He dropped some more sugar into his drink.

"Yes, I understand your thoughts, Ana-san." He said. "And that fact alone is causing my suspicions about you to lessen."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yes, very much." He said.

I leaned forwards a bit, resting my elbow against my leg, tilting my head to the side with a smile. "Why do you have to lie to me Ryuuga-san?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow at me. "The only reason why I say that is because I'm sure that you've already figured out that if I were Kira, I could possibly be doing this just to lessen my suspicion."

He gave a small smile, "Interesting Ana-san." He said. "And yes you are correct I have already considered that possibility."

I nodded, "Thought so...um...Is that all you have to discuss with us today?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yes, but I will be meeting with you tomorrow to introduce you to a few others who are working on the case with me." He said.

I nodded, "Alright, I looked forward to meeting them." I said before standing up. I gave a quick goodbye to them both before walking out of the coffee shop.

My thoughts traveled to what happened earlier. Frowning as I walked down the sidewalk I put it in my mind to talk to have a serious discussion with Eri.

* * *

Hm…seems like L is finding himself more intrigued with "Ana" as he situates himself more with her. And what of Light? I know I didn't post what his reaction to their little discussion was but it'll come later, I promise. And please don't ask me what Ana meant. I came up with that last year and can't remember what I meant by it. But If I remember by some chance then I'll post it in a later chapter.

Now I have to go. Remember the two R's people.

Read and Review! See you later.


	17. Meeting the Taskforce

Hello people of Fanfiction! Are you ready for another chapter of Expressing Yourself?

….

There's no need to be rude you know XD

Anyways, if you want to, you can go and look at a picture that I've just put up of Raina on my deviantart page. It didn't turn out how I wanted it to, but it's something so –shrugs-

Now, onto the story!

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

As Light was talking to his father, L opted to stay in the corner to watch silently. He had to speak to Light after all this was done.

Suddenly a knock sounded at the door before a middle aged woman walked in. In her hands were two packages.

She looked around at the occupants for a moment before looking down, "Is there a Rue Ryuuzaki here?" She asked.

L walked up to her, "Yes that would be me." He told her.

She handed the package to him, "This came about two weeks earlier and for some reason we were only supposed to deliver it today and to this room." She chuckled a little. "I guess you can say perfect timing, huh?"

L nodded, "Yes, I suppose you can." He commented. "Did you perhaps see who asked for these to be delivered?"

She shook her head, "No, the package was just waiting outside." She explained. "And we didn't see anyone on our surveillance cameras either."

Nodding again L thanked her and turned around as she left the room. He saw that Light and Mr. Yagami were looking at him.

"What's in the package?" Light asked, curious.

L looked down at the package in thought. Somehow, and some way, someone knew he'd be here even before he did. And he had a suspicion on who sent it to, and knowing him, he was more than likely 95% correct.

His eyes scanned over the package a little more, turning it back and forwards. And, as he did so, he discovered a tiny slip of paper.

_Don't open it until you get home. _

L blinked, his curiosity growing.

Apparently whatever contents lied in the package were of much importance. Either that or they were messing with him…

* * *

-17-

* * *

Currently L was seated in his normal fashion back at headquarters. The members of the taskforce, excluding Mr. Yagami, were surrounding him as he carefully unwrapped the package.

Once that was done they all looked inside to see a single slip of paper.

Matsuda's mouth dropped, "That's it?" He asked. "Who would leave a package like that and only leave a slip of paper inside?"

"Someone who loves messing with us, apparently." Aizawa commented. He was about to move back to his seat when L raised a hand, stopping him.

"No one go back to their seats." He ordered. "The letter is a message from Miss Liberty."

Matsuda looked at him, interested now, "What does it say?" He asked.

L looked at him and the others, "She's not going to be contacting us as much as she used to, if not hardly at all, but she will be watching us from close by from now on." He read. "She also says to not be frightened if she doesn't contact us soon and that she still has not decided on whom she prefers yet. So there's no need to be alarmed."

"What does the bottom say?" Ukita asked.

L blinked, "That we will get nothing from this letter, meaning we will not find anything on who she might be or anything in relation to that."

After that he set the paper back inside the package.

"So I guess we need to keep an eye out for someone who's watching us closely, huh?" Matsuda asked.

L put his thumb to his mouth in thought, "Perhaps…." He muttered. "But we're still not sure on how she will be going about this. I will have Watari check out the building for any taps or cameras that may have not been placed by him or me."

"What about outside of the headquarters?"

"Just keep watch as normal and try not to act suspicious."

* * *

-17-

* * *

-Raina's POV-

…The Next Day…

I was sitting in the car with L. I tried not to ask him why he was watching me….no matter how annoying it was.

"I'm amazed at how calm you are about all this Ana-san." He told me.

I raised an eyebrow, "Why?" I asked.

"Well, I could be taking you to meet Kira right now." He explained. "I'm surprised at how much trust you put into a complete stranger."

I smiled a little, "I don't fear death so there's no point in me being afraid." I answered. "And who's to say that I trust you right now, hm? I could simply just be amused enough to see where this leads me."

Now he looked amused, "Interesting…." He muttered. "You don't fear death?"

I shook my head, "No." I answered before smiling. "I guess you can say that's why I'm not afraid of Kira in case you decide to ask me later."

He didn't say anything more but instead he placed his thumb in his mouth and looked out the window. Part of my plan was to say stuff that made it seem like I was Liberty, and I am, so it'll be easy. And it'll help lessen the surprise when everyone finds out anyways.

As the images flew pass us as we drove on, my thoughts traveled to the incident that happened with my phone earlier. I'd spoken to Eri about it and she said that the King said that there was some sort of rift created in the dimension vortex when I came here, so it was spewing out little bursts of energy from my dimension. I guess my Mom was trying to call me when one hit so she reached me.

But it was going to be fixed soon in a couple of days so I didn't need to worry about anymore interruptions from other dimensions.

Suddenly I felt something wash over me.

Frowning, I looked at myself in the window reflection. Unconsciously, I placed a hand on my face, my thoughts swirling around sanity.

Despite the dream at had the beginning, which helped to boost my confidence a lot, every now and again I would sit back down and wonder if I made a mistake or not.

"Am I crazy?" I wondered.

Before I could answer myself, the car came to a halt. Luckily I was wearing a seatbelt.

"We've arrived." L announced before moving over to the door. He got out as the door opened for him.

Blinking, I followed after him.

"I don't see how you can sit in a car without a seatbelt on." I commented to him before narrowing my eyes at the glint of the sun. "It's like you're glued to the bottom of the seat or something."

L shook his head, "That would be quite ridiculous." He responded. "Nevertheless, it's not important, let's get a move on."

I looked up at the hotel building before I entered through its doors. I remember later on that L would be building a building of his own. Honestly I thought it was idiotic but kind of smart. At least no one could track his I.P address.

"Hmm…." I thought as we entered the elevator. "I think I have an app for that on my program…."

Shrugging off the thought, I silently awaited meeting the others.

* * *

-17-

* * *

L's POV

As we walked into the elevator I couldn't help but let my thoughts once again travel to the woman beside me. She showed far more knowledge than I'd expected. Though as much as it was interesting I couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. Especially with Miss Liberty watching our progress up close now. It was kind of uncanny the timing of this all was.

"Keeping a watchful out on Ana-san would help a great deal." I thought, exiting the elevator. I could watch for suspicious behavior, more so than now, and if needed be deal with her and Kira at the same time.

"Until then, I'll just have to act normal." I thought.

* * *

-17-

* * *

Author's POV

After a few minutes L and Ana arrived at their designated room. After unlocking the door, the two walked inside. Immediately all eyes were on them.

"Ana-san?" Matsuda immediately spoke. "What are you doing here?"

Ana smiled at him, "It's nice to see you again too, Matsuda-san." She said. "And I do believe that I am here to assist in the Kira case, if I am correct."

"Yes, that is correct." L said from his spot beside her. "Everyone this is Ana-san, she is the third person to have scored the same as Light and I at To-OH, and I do believe her skills to be helpful to us as we move forwards in the case." He motioned to her doing this, all the while noticing the slightly embarrassed look on her face.

"I suppose not too many people praise her, if I'm assuming correctly." He thought before shaking his head.

"You are to treat her with respect whilst she is here and…." He turned to her. "If you have any questions feel free to ask." He turned back to the taskforce. "You all are free to introduce yourself but limit yourselves to the questions your wish to ask."

Ending it there he walked over to his regular seat, in his regular position, and began to look over some notes.

Ana still stood in the same place as the taskforce members came over to her. First was Matsuda.

"I can't believe that you're here." He told her. "How have you been?"

She smiled, "Perfectly fine, thanks for asking." She said. "How about yourself?"

He shrugged, "It's been tiring but…" His eyes brightened. "It'll be worth it once we capture Kira."

She nodded, "Keep thinking that and you'll get through." She told him. He gave her a smile before walking back over to his seat.

Aizawa came up to her next. She noted his calculating look and shook her head.

"If you're going to judge me because I'm a girl you might as well go back to your seat." She told him flatly. "Because honestly I don't have the time or the patience for people like that."

He and the others stared at her wide-eyed. L, having heard the conversation, smiled lightly.

"I may have forgotten to mention, but Ana-san doesn't take kindly to sexism very well." He told them. "Especially against the female population."

Ana shook her head, "No, not every female, but just females in general." She explained. "It's one thing to talk about a woman just because of herself but it's another thing to talk about her because her gender."

L nodded, "It'd be best to not anger her on the subject." He continued. "Unless you want to hear a very long speech on it…."

Ana smiled and shrugged, "Hey, I like to get my point across." She said.

L merely looked at her before going back to his work. After that the other members of the taskforce came up to speak to her before going back to their seats.

"Ana-san later on I will be showing you to your room, just in case a situation comes up in which you cannot leave." L told her as she came to sit near him.

She nodded, "Alright." She said before picking up the notes he placed down.

And that's how she spent her day.

* * *

Well, there you have it! Another chapter completed…

So, how many of you are ready for school to begin again tomorrow? That is if you're going back tomorrow…


	18. Realization

Hello everyone! Yeah, that's right, I'm back! Did you miss me?

…

…

Well then….there's no need to be rude.

Anyways, here's your 1st chapter of the new year and I know I said that I would give you 2-3 chapters but my sister is being a grouch and is complaining about how I'm staying too long up here –rolls eyes- so I unfortunately can only give you 1 chapter today. But when Sunday comes I'll give you 2 more chapters to make up for it all, okay? Okay.

Let's go.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Light's POV**

After coming home from the hospital, I had found a box waiting outside the door. I had picked it up, looking around it for a moment and discovered there was no return address.

Feeling slightly suspicious, I quickly entered the house and immediately set foot to my room. I looked around a bit, noticing that mom wasn't around. She must be in her room.

Anyways, once I got to my room, checked the piece of paper in my door, and made sure nobody was coming, I opened the box.

Inside was a single note.

My eye twitched a little.

"Whatcha got there, Light?" Ryuk questioned, coming in through the wall.

I looked up at him, "It's a note." I told him as I picked up said object. "I don't know who it's from, but I'm about to find out."

And at that my eyes began scanning over the note.

_Dear Kira,_

_I must inform you that I will not be contacting you as much as I used to anymore. Nevertheless, I will be watching you very closely from now on. And, just to clarify, I haven't picked any sides….yet. So don't go getting all worked up over nothing, alright?_

_Liberty_

_P.S Have you read the book "Goddesses and Gods of the Ancient Underworld?" It's a classic!_

I stared at the piece of paper, now even more annoyed.

"Ryuk." I started, eyes closed... "Are there people who can see into the future?"

Instead of an answer, I was met with laughter.

I quickly sat up and looked at him.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

He shook his head, "Nothing, nothing at all." He said.

I glared at him, "Well then answer my question." I ordered.

He shook his head, "Sorry Light." He said. "Even I know I can't tell anyone about _that_. I mean the person can tell you, but I can't. If I told you then I'd be stripped of my notebook and sent to the-" He shuddered. "I don't even want to talk about it…"

Now I was stressing out. Ryuk knew something, but couldn't tell me, and there was no way that Liberty was going to tell me. But I needed to figure out a way to get closer to her.

But how?

* * *

-18-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I was currently speeding down the street on the motorcycle I had ordered a few weeks before now. Right now I was on a mission, a mission to save someone who also didn't deserve to die.

"Come on." I thought. "Please don't let me be late."

* * *

-18-

* * *

Ukita was running. He needed to stop all of this, he was tired of sitting back and watching other people die.

Sweat rolling down his back, "No more." He thought. "No more…"

Up ahead he could see the TV station and he picked up his speed. He was only about a minute away when he heard something that caught his attention.

Turning around, he saw bright red lights headed towards him.

His eyes widened.

* * *

-18-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

As I got closer to the Sakura TV station, I immediately swerved to my left. Cars honked behind me and people jumped out of the way I zoomed down the sidewalk.

"L is so going to fuss me out about this." I thought with a grin. "But it's worth it."

Anyways, up a head I could see Ukita. With my mission in mind, I hit the gas pedal a little harder, going a little faster.

"Need a lift?" I asked as I grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him onto the back seat.

"What are you doing!?" He cried, though he hung on. "I have to stop them!?"

I grinned behind my helmet, "You would've died if you stepped foot there." I explained to him. "Trust me on that."

His breathing got a little louder, before it calmed down. "Y-you're Liberty, aren't you?" He questioned. "That's the only way you'd know I'd be here today. It's you, isn't it!?"

I nodded, "Yep, now hold on tight. This is going to be a very dangerous ride." I told him before I swerved to the right and into the traffic. Other cars immediately tried to swerve out of my way whilst others just honked their horns as I barely passed them.

Overall it was a mess.

"Are you crazy!?" Ukita shouted over the noise. "We could've been killed."

"Are you crazy!?" I countered. "With you running into the arms of Kira like that, _**you**_ could've been killed!"

"I could've saved their lives!" He responded.

I was quiet for a moment, "No, you wouldn't have." I said. "Like I said, you would've died."

"But Kira doesn't know my name." He said. "How could they have killed me?"

I smiled sadly, "Because that's not the Kira you know…." I responded.

He became quiet.

"Alright, now let's get you on back to the base, shall we?" I asked.

And we were off.

* * *

-18-

* * *

L and the other members of the Task Force were watching the news when an update on the Sakura TV hostage situation came up.

"We have a special update, it looks like someone is currently speeding down the sideway near the TV station." The news reporter stated. "Here, take a look."

The showed a video clip of someone swerving to the left and onto the sidewalk before heading straight towards the station.

L, even more curious now, began to think a little.

"What do they think they are they doing?" Matsuda questioned.

Aizawa shushed him.

They continued to watch as the person on the bike grabbed the back of someone's collar and lifted them up, onto, the back of their bike. Then they proceeded to go back into traffic, causing a lot of fright and mess.

"I don't know what that person got out of doing this." The news reporter stated. "But all I do know is that they've caused a lot of havoc over it all."

"Who was that person?" Matsuda questioned.

"Why don't you ask Mr. Ukita when he comes back?" L stated.

Aizawa furrowed his eyebrows, "What? But…." He looked at the TV. "Why would they take Ukita?"

L blinked, "All will be answered when he returns." He simply said. "Until then please withhold all questions."

"But…."

Everyone turned towards the door and watched as Ukita himself ran into the room, eyes widened.

"It was Liberty." He stated. "She was the one on the motorcycle."

Matsuda blinked, "What?" He questioned. "Why would she do all that just to bring you back here?"

Ukita looked at L, "She said that if I had tried to save them that I would've died." He explained.

"But Kira can't kill you if they don't have your name." Aizawa commented.

"That's what I thought too." Ukita said. "But then she told me that the Kira as the TV station is not the Kira that we know."

Everyone turned towards at L at this, "So, if that's the case, what are we going to do?" Matsuda asked.

L looked back at the TV, "We're just going to have to wait and see what happens." He said. "It's all that we can really do right now."

Everyone looked at each other for a moment before turning back towards the TV.

* * *

-18-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I threw myself onto my bed, out of breath.

"I never want to do something like that again." I commented to Eri as she came into the room.

She stared at me, "That was a dangerous move right there." She stated. "Did you make sure to…?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I deleted the footage of me going down the sidewalk and the street." I told her. "So nobody should be able to figure out who I am. Not that they could anyways, because the motorcycle is listed under an unknown person."

"So what's going to be your story for tomorrow?" She questioned. "Are you going to pretend that you didn't see the broadcast?"

I shook my head, "I can just tell them that I saw bits and pieces of it." I told her. "I'll just say that I was in the bathroom when they ask me about the whole motorcycle situation."

Eri nodded before phasing through the wall and into the living room.

I continued to lie on my bed, "I just have a feeling that L is going to be keeping a watchful eye on me from now on." I thought.

Oh, how wondrous.

* * *

Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope that it seemed to fit in with the story a little bit. I don't know if I'll try and have Ukita try something like this again….should it?

Just tell me in your reviews, okay? Alright.

See you later!


	19. Impressing the Boss

Okay, look some people wanted to know what three words Raina told L back in like the 10th chapter. So here's what she told him:

His name

Watari's Name

Wammy's Orphanage

And that's all that she told him. If you have any further questions, please, feel free to ask.

Now, I wanted to thank you all for getting me so many reviews. You guys literally BRIGHTEN up my day whenever I get an email saying that I've gotten a new review, favorite, or follower.

Now can anyone answer me this: How come whenever I do a Death Note story it gets over 50 reviews but for my other stories I can hardly get 10? It makes no sense what-so-ever.

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I was sitting in the main room of Headquarters Inc. just patiently waiting for Mr. Yagami to return with the information of the NPA's decision regarding what went down with "Kira." Personally, I was worried, and that's a good thing considering what's going to happen later on.

"Funny, I was never this worried when I was watching the show." I thought as I looked down at all the people walking by, oblivious to the danger around them. My thoughts then, somehow, led to something I saw on YouTube where L tore up some pages of the Death Note and threw them out the window, causing everyone to panic once they touched them. And then Ryuk, who was frightening them, ordered them all to give him their apples.

"Does Ana-san find something amusing?" L questioned from his spot nearby. Oops, I guess I was laughing out loud.

I smiled, shaking off the embarrassment, "Nah, nothing amusing at all." I excused before turning back towards the window.

After a moment I turned towards L, "Hey….L?" I started. "Why are you doing this?"

He stared at me for a moment, "I do believe that we've discussed this earlier." He stated. "It must be done."

"But why?"

"You know why."

"Why?"

"Please stop asking me why, Ana-san."

"Why?"

"Would you two can it already!?" Aizawa shouted, causing Matsuda to jump. Everyone else just shook their heads and continued to work.

I grinned before looking at Matsuda, who was laughing, "You owe me dinner, Matsui." I told him, now smirking, before returning to my sanctuary. That's the window by the way.

But, Mr. Yagami decided to return at this point so I had to turn myself right back around to face him.

"Ryuuzaki, I'm afraid it is as you thought." He started. "Several of our associate countries have weighed in and it seems that they are in favor of the real L appearing on TV."

Non-oblivious to me, I had balled my fist up at that bit of information. These are the moments I dread in Death Note and honestly I want to knock some sense into all of them.

"I think that's the most appropriate choice given the options." L reasoned. "Nevertheless we still have three days before it happens." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Maybe we can find some counter measure. After all, this would really annoy me if I'm killed by the first person who jumped the Kira bandwagon."

Everyone gasped, except me of course. And L noticed it.

"Are you not surprised by my information, Ana-san?" He questioned.

I smiled, "Nope, not one bit. Because I already know what you're going to say." I told him. "So say it."

He nodded, "There's a strong possibility that this Kira is a fake." He concluded. "No…we should think of him like a second Kira."

"I…I don't understand." Aizawa stuttered. "How did you come up with that conclusion?"

L blinked, "I looked at the victims he used for his prediction in tape number one. The purpose was to prove to the Sakura TV staff that he's Kira. Both of their names were only reported in tabloids and daytime talk shows." He started to stab at the strawberry on his plate. "And they weren't exactly hardened criminals."

"The real Kira has no need to prove himself by using such insignificant criminals, but from the perspective of the second Kira." He placed the strawberry in his mouth. "He had to make sure that he didn't predict the death of a criminal who could easily be killed by the first Kira."

"Ryuuzaki, if you had to put a number on it, what's the probability of a second Kira?" Mr. Yagami questioned.

"I'd have to say more than 70% this time." He told us. Everyone, but me, gasped again.

L raised an eyebrow as I stared at him, "Still not shocked, Ana-san?" He questioned.

I shook my head, "Nah, you're good. But I might add something later on." I told him, smiling.

He continued to look at me for a moment before turning to the others, "Continuing on, I have to say that I don't like the way this second Kira works. It's nothing like the original Kira."

"Not like Kira?" Matsuda questioned, confused.

"In the past, he has traditionally avoided killing innocent people with the exception of those who were trying to catch him. Anyhow, if we catch one Kira then it'll provide us with the insight we need to catch the other." L turned to Mr. Yagami. "Mr. Yagami, I'd like permission to ask your son to cooperate with us on this investigation."

Mr. Yagami looked a bit hopeful, "If you want my son on the taskforce, then does that mean you no longer suspect him?" He asked. It was at this that I felt sorry for the man, because no matter what, L would always suspect Light.

L thought for a moment, "Well, I can't say he'd be completely cleared, but his deductive skills would be invaluable to us at this moment." He told him.

Mr. Yagami nodded, "If my son wants to cooperate with us then I see no reason to prevent it." He encouraged.

"I appreciated that. And I would like it if you would keep the fake Kira information from him for a while. We want to make it to him that we're still chasing the same Kira." L explained.

"Ryuuzaki," I started. "I agree with you, yes I really do, but I'm questioning your reason as to why you think that this second Kira is a man, not a woman or female if you prefer."

Everyone turned to look at me, "What makes you think that this Kira is a female, Ana-san?" L asked.

I smiled, "Well, first of all, it begins with when you said that these criminals were found in tabloids and daytime talk shows. What self-respecting man reads and watches that kind of stuff?" I questioned.

"Interesting theory, but-"

I continued to smile, "I wasn't finished." I interrupted. "Secondly, and no offense, but 95% of the male population on this planet is prideful, very prideful. So, what "prideful" man would bow down to Kira so willingly?" Everyone stayed quiet, so I continued. "Thirdly, both L and I believe that this Kira would obey the original Kira's orders, and I believe that this comes from the simple fact that maybe _someone_ has a secret admirer." I chuckled. "I don't know, maybe Kira did something for this person, who's to tell right?" I shook my head, "And finally, it's just plain obvious that this Kira used some sort of app or device to lower their voice…..and a crappy one at that."

Mr. Yagami gave me a look, "How exactly would you know that?" He asked.

My smile slightly faltered, "Well, for some 3 years of my life, before I moved here, before I met any of you. I had friends who did the same thing this Kira is doing with their voice…and they were terrible at it. You could clearly hear falters in the system that made their voice normal for a moment, but it was too fast to actually notice if you played it normally. Now, if you slowed it down a bit, and _then_ listened to it, you could hear it." I leaned back a little. "But none of us knew how to do that back then; it was only recent that I learned how to detect things like that."

Mr. Yagami blinked and sat back, obviously having nothing to say back to me.

"Your theories are quite virtuous, Ana-san." L commented. "And you seem quite sure of them."

I looked at L, silently for a moment, "L, you brought me here because of my excellent deductive skills, as you say." I said. "And hearing that coming from you is an honor. And so, the moment that I'm not sure of something….." I grinned. "Well, you won't be able to tell."

Everyone, besides L, looked at each other as I stood up.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," I walked over to the door. "I do believe it's time for my break."

And at that I left the room, grinning all the way to the kitchen.

* * *

-19-

* * *

**Author's POV**

After "Ana" left everyone turned towards L to see him staring at the door, eyes wider than ever.

"What is it, Ryuuzaki?" Mr. Yagami asked. "Are you alright?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, L turned towards everyone, "I didn't even think of that." He revealed.

Matsuda tilted his head, confused, "What do you mean?" He asked.

"The thought that they might be female passed my mind, but I never once thought about actually looking for any evidence of it." L explained before a small smile graced his face. "Once again she's surpassed my expectations."

The task force looked at him and then at the door.

"Maybe I was wrong about her." Mr. Yagami commented. He'd been a little cautious that there was a woman on the team that he'd been…rude…to her more than a few times since he came from the hospital. Surprisingly, she didn't fuss him out like she did Aizawa or the people at the Entrance Ceremony.

Instead she grinned at him and left the room immediately, shortly coming back later with a smoothie.

* * *

-19-

* * *

**L's POV**

I was stunned and amazed at the same time, which is very rare for me. No one had been able to find something that I hadn't, not even my 3 successors could/have. And she said it like it was no big deal, like it was so simple, like anyone could find it.

But _I _hadn't. I neglected the thought and moved on to what I believed without searching for every detail and/or aspect of each possible situation. But she filled my shoes and did it instead of me.

My thoughts led to Light. Obviously she and he were friends of some sort. They seemed to get along well whenever I see them at the university, which was very often. And since Light was Kira, of which I have no doubt, the future of their friendship troubled me. Light could very well convince her to join his side and push me into death's cold hands.

Shaking my head, I looked at the door once more. Ana-san didn't seem like that kind of person, but I'd have to be more careful around her until I was sure of her loyalties.

* * *

Yay! I finished. And I was supposed to update this earlier, like 5 hours earlier, but I was constantly being interrupted. Nevertheless, is it me or is L showing a little more interest in Ana/Raina? What will he do when he realized that she's Liberty? Oh boy, his concerns are going to sky rocket. It's going to be great! And funny!

Hehehe…..

I have nothing else to say but: Review! Review! Review! Haha!


	20. Deceit

Hi! Welcome to the next chapter that I promised you all. Whew…I'm beat from all this writing…..

Sike!

Anyways, I want you all to do me a favor and vote on what you think Ana/Raina's code name should be. I'm not going to post it yet, even though this chapter is where everyone's talking about it, but it'll be coming up in later chapters. So I need you all to do that.

But before you do that, read this chapter first; it's kind of vital to read it before you look at the poll. So, please, don't look at the poll. No lookey….Hehe…

Okay, now, onto the story.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

After "Ana" came back, holding what she said was a banana smoothie. She quickly sat near L who was busying himself with some strawberries.

It only took a few minutes before she snatched one of them. L stared at her, wide eyed.

"You…took my strawberry." He stated.

She grinned, "Yeah, strawberries plus bananas make an excellent combination." She told him before plopping the strawberry in her mouth and drinking her smoothie at the same time.

"Why didn't you get Watari to make you a strawberry banana smoothie?" Aizawa questioned.

She looked at him for a moment, "I made this myself." She said. "And _someone_ took all the strawberries." She turned towards L at this, glancing down at the strawberry bowl.

He opened his mouth to speak when a knock sounded at the door.

Mr. Yagami moved from his position and opened the door, revealing Light. L walked up to him and extended his hand to shake, which surprisingly, Light shook.

"Thank you, Light." L said.

Light smiled, "It's my pleasure actually." He responded. "After all I want to catch Kira as much as you do, Ryuuga." Then they broke the handshake.

"I'll have to ask that you call me Ryuuzaki here." L told him.

"And I'm Matsui!" Matsuda introduced.

"I'm Aihara." Aizawa said.

"And I'm Asahi." Mr. Yagami said.

"Yes, of course." Light said before turning back towards L. "I suppose I should call myself Light Asahi then?"

"Yes, please do."

Nodding, Light turned towards Ana who was typing away on her laptop.

"Ana-san?" Light questioned.

Ana turned towards him, "Huh?" She answered.

He smiled, "Would you care to tell me your code name?" He asked.

She blinked, "Oh….um….yeah I don't have one yet." She said.

Light blinked, "Oh, do you need some help?" He questioned. "I think Calla would suit you."

L looked at him then her, "I suggested Akira, but she was unresponsive to it." He commented. "Nevertheless, let's get to work. Light, you can start by looking at all the information that we've acquired." L began to walk away leaving Light to follow him.

"I'd also like to for you to examine these videos." L continued. "They were sent to the station but never aired." Light sat down in front of the TV. "For security reason you are not to take notes and all materials will stay here."

"I understand." Light told him.

"We will begin now." L commanded.

And at that, the video began streaming.

* * *

-20-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

As Light was watching the video, I noticed him flinching a few times and glancing at me whenever he could.

Could it be that he was worried about my opinion on the whole thing? I wouldn't blame him, I mean if I met someone who was like me then I'd be kind of wary about my choice of words too. But he shouldn't be so it really doesn't matter.

* * *

-20-

* * *

**Author's POV**

After the video ended, L turned towards Light. "So what do you think of the video, Light?" He questioned. "Have you come to any conclusions?"

Light seemed surprised for a moment before tensing up a bit. Then he quickly pushed himself onto his two feet, his eyes hidden beneath his hair fringe.

"It's hard to say but I think there's another person out there with Kira's power." Light concluded. Ana, who'd been watching him, smirked a little before returning to her work.

"With Kira's power!" Mr. Yagami exclaimed. "But, what do you mean Light?"

Light gestured towards the TV, "At the very least I'd say this tape was not created by the Kira we're familiar with. It's extremely out of character for him to use these kinds of victims for his killings, and since we've established he needs a name and a face to kill, it makes you wonder how he was able to kill that detective and those two officers right outside the television station like that." He explained.

"It's the same." Aizawa breathed.

"That's almost exactly how L…I mean Ryuuzaki said it." Matsuda added, also in awe. Mr. Yagami looked a bit relieved. However, L just continued to stare at Light.

"Yes, we also do believe that this is the work of a second Kira." He agreed.

"So this was just another one of your test?" Light questioned.

L looked at him, "It wasn't my intentions to test you. The truth is that if I was the only one, with Ana-san's, who thought there was a second Kira….it wouldn't be convincing enough. But the fact that we've all came up with the same conclusion makes even more believable. As expected you did not disappoint. You've been a great."

Suddenly the sound of choked laughter came from nearby. Light ignored it whilst L just continued to look at him.

"Anyways, it is decided then. First we must focus on stopping this second Kira. From what we've seen he sympathizes with the real Kira, but clearly lacks his sophistication. I think he may be willing to obey the original. If that's the case, then we could lure him into a trap by sending our own message from the real Kira."

Light sent him a smile, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised," He started. "You literally took the words right out of my mouth." L's eyes narrowed a bit at that.

"Light I would like for you play the part of the real Kira." L casually said.

"Huh?" Light answered. "Me as Kira?"

L nodded, "Yes, you're the only one I could think of to do the job. At any rate, we have no time to waste. Do you think you could script a message from Kira in time for it to be aired on this evening's national news?"

Light nodded, "Sure, let's get started."

After about fifteen minutes, he called for L again. Against her own will, Ana followed L. She watched as he delicately held the paper in his hands.

"Why do you hold everything like that?" She questioned before shaking her head, "Never mind. Don't answer that, it's none of my business."

L stared at her for a moment before giving her the script.

"So, does it look okay?" Light asked. "I think I managed to make it believable."

Ana looked up from the script, "Don't you think the whole 'Please feel free to kill L' part is going a little overboard?" She questioned.

L nodded, "I agree, if you don't omit it…"

"He might end up dead." Ana interrupted before looking at L. "Wait, that just finished your sentence, didn't it?"

Light looked at them, "Yeah, it was kind of weird." He commented. Though, no one could tell that he was a bit annoyed by it. "Anyways, sorry, I guess I did get a bit carried away with the part. If I was Kira, I'd probably demand that you be killed." He leaned back a bit. "I was improvising, feel free to change it to whatever you like."

L nodded before they all headed towards Aizawa.

* * *

-20-

* * *

After a couple of minutes everyone was huddled around a laptop with a black gothic "W" against a white background.

"Ryuzaki, we have a reply from the second Kira." Watari reported.

"What?" Mr. Yagami questioned, surprised at the quick reply.

Ana chuckled, "That sure was fast, huh Ryuzaki?" She questioned, grinning at the man. L looked at her from the corner of his eye, but couldn't hide the slight amusement he felt.

"I'm bringing over the envelope and tapes we received, but in the meantime I'm going to stream a copy of the video so you can view it on your end." The image on the screen changed to the logo of the second Kira.

"Kira, thank you for your reply." The distorted voice said. Ana resisted rolling her eyes. "Please do not worry, I will follow orders and do as you say."

"Whoa." Matsuda breathed.

"It worked." Mr. Yagami added, also surprised.

"I really want to meet you." The voice carried on. "I don't think you have the eyes…."

Ana chose this moment to look at Light for a minute to see him immediately tense up. When he looked at her, she gave him a small smile before turning back towards the screen.

"But don't worry," The voice continued. "I would never try to kill you. That's a promise."

"What's this having the eyes supposed to mean?" Aizawa wondered. "Is it a code?"

"Yeah…." Matsuda trailed off.

"Kira, please tell me how I can meet you. I know you'll think of something. And when we meet, we can confirm our identities by showing our shinigami to each other."

"Shinigami?" Ana breathed, pretending to be shocked beyond belief. She continued to show her shock even when L screamed, hands in the air and all. Even when he knocked himself and his chair over.

"Ryuzaki!" Matsuda and Aizawa called out.

L sat up, "S-Shinigami?" He stuttered. "Am I supposed to believe that…that shinigami actually exist?"

* * *

And there you go! Hm…I wonder what's going on with L and Ana (Raina). First he's complimenting her then then she's finishing his sentences, what's up with that?

Anyways, I want you all, to look at the humorous story I'm about to post titled: Stop KPS (Parody of SPS). The song from Sonny with a Chance.

And remember to check out my poll! And, for spoilers, I've added the two names that L and Light suggested for her up there too. If you want to know what they mean, then look it yourself.

Was that rude of me to say?


	21. Compromise

Hello! Like I promise, here's your next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

Important Notice: I've checked the poll and since it has been 2 days since I've last updated, which has given you all an opportunity to vote, the poll is now closed and my decision is final. And the winner of Codename Raina is….

Akira!

You know what's funny. I knew most of you would choose that, I just knew it would happen. Anyways, that's going to be Raina's codename. She may choose it in this chapter or the next, or the next, or the next, I don't know but she'll choose it soon.

Anyways, enough of that, let's get going shall we?

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

Everyone was still shocked after the shinigami bomb dropped.

"Impossible!" Matsuda cried out. "That's impossible!"

L, who was still frozen on the floor, just stared at the TV with the hope that it was all some practical joke.

"Well, obviously they don't exist!" Aizawa agreed. "It's completely ridiculous to think otherwise."

Light nodded, "You're right." He commented. "Ryuzaki, listen to yourself. Of course shinigami don't exist."

L looked down for a moment, "You're probably right." He easily agreed. "And the prisoners, I distinctly remember them writing something about shinigami."

"So based off that fact, perhaps we're dealing with the same person after all. It would definitely explain why we're hearing the same words." Mr. Yagami reasoned.

Light shook his head, "No, that's not it." He responded. "Because if this was the same person, it's highly unlikely that he would've responded to our video in the first place. And why would he agree to let L live after going through all the trouble of getting him to appear on TV? The real Kira wants him dead, so it doesn't make any sense."

"Then maybe there's some other connection between the real one," Aizawa reasoned, thinking of a logical answer. "They could've already met and decided to use the word shinigami to confuse us."

L, who was back in his previously toppled chair, looked out of the corner of his eye. "No." He said. "I'd say that's unlikely. It's as Light said, if the two Kira's were connected then I don't think the imposter would be so willing to give up on his plan to kill me. All of this suggests that the second Kira has his own agenda and is acting independently of the first. I believe his actual motive is to meet the first."

Light nodded, "I think you're right." He concluded. "He's acting out of interest in Kira, so the word shinigami could be used as a reference to their killing power."

"Also, we can assume the word shinigami must hold some other meaning that only the first and second Kira's are aware of." L deduced.

"So will you be more specific?" Light asked. "We have to be more careful about how we handle this situation, because we can't make it too obvious what we're asking, or else he'll realize we're not Kira."

"No." L said, abruptly. "From now on it's best we leave it up to the two Kira's."

"What do you mean?" Aizawa asked.

"I imagine the second Kira is probably quite satisfied with current situation, now that he has received a televised response. He sent a message to get Kira's attention, and as far as he knows, he has it." L blinked, "Also, there's that word he used, that only the two of them would understand. We'll arrange to have this broadcasted on Sakura TV's six o'clock news. Naturally this will be of interest of Kira and he'll be following the exchange between the copycat and the one we've invented." Everyone, with the exception of Light, stared at him blankly. "Now if I were Kira himself, my priority would be to prevent this imposter from coming into contact with the police. This is good for us because it means the real Kira may feel pressured to respond this time."

Aizawa nodded, slowly understanding it all, "Okay." He said, accepting the situation. "But, let's say that he doesn't respond, what do we do?"

"Yes, I've been thinking about what the second Kira might do if he gets no response. For one, he might reveal information that he knows Kira wants kept secret in order to pressure him into a meeting. Of course," L added, "that, of course, would make Kira nervous. It could be interesting if Kira sends a message of his own to prevent this from happening. Preferably this could provide us with the physical evidence we'll need to build a case against him. But, in the meantime, let's gather all the information we can find on the second Kira."

Everyone scattered, to begin getting together the information, when Matsuda suddenly stopped.

"Hey?" He called out. "Where's Ana?"

Light looked around, not seeing her anywhere, "Huh? Where'd she go?" He asked.

"She left sometime after the tape and between when we started to debate on where we should head next." L answered. "I'm surprised you didn't notice." This seemed to be a gibe towards Light, who took it to the offense.

"Well, I hope she's alright." He commented. "Maybe the shock of it all just finally got to her."

L blinked, "You could be right." He suggested. "I'll check on her later, she shouldn't have gone far nor would she have left without first informing me."

Light stared at him, wanting to say something, but decided against it.

* * *

-21-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

After I left the common room, discreetly, I found myself headed towards the roof. I needed air, fresh, not compressed, air.

After I arrived, I was hit with a small, but warm, wind. Around me I could hear the sounds of the city.

Smiling I walked over to the edge of the building, not close enough to fall over, but close enough to kind of look around a bit.

My quiet moment, to myself that is, didn't last long if the sound of flapping wings next to me is any indication.

"What do you want Eri?" I questioned, glancing at her out of the corner of my eyes. "Did you check to see if Ryuk was around?"

She nodded, "Yes, he's not around." She responded. "It is safe for me to be here and I have questions from the Shinigami King."

"Which is?" I questioned, curious.

"Well, before that, let me inform you that the repair in the dimension can't be fixed unless you return to your time." She told me. "So, you may receive calls from your dimension again. Secondly, as for the questions, the king wishes to know if you've figured out a way to save this dimension yet."

I looked off somewhere, "No, I have ideas of how I could…but I'm not entirely sure yet." I told her. Then I grinned. "You wouldn't happen to have a book that can save people, do you?"

She shook her head, "Shinigami don't possess that power." She told me. "But, perhaps the King has more information on the subject. I'll ask once I return."

I nodded, "Cool." I said. "And could you also ask him this…."

"Hm?"

"I know that the rules are that I cannot tell anyone that I'm not from this world." I said. "But, in the case that I do save this dimension, can I reveal it?"

"I'm not entirely sure of that idea, but, if you could, there may be consequences behind doing so." She explained. "You might end up binding yourself to this dimension forever."

I couldn't help but smile a little, "Of course, that's only if I decide I wanted to stay here." I commented. "But, if not, then there's no point in telling when no one will see you again."

"Correct."

I nodded, turning around, "I'd best be getting back." I told her. "Even though I know almost everything that's going to happen, excluding the ending, it's still interesting to watch and listen up close." I tilted my head. "How weird is that?"

By the time I finished that sentence, I was already at the door and she was off into the skies above. I took one last look around, before heading off.

* * *

-21-

* * *

**Author's POV**

Once Ana returned to the common room, she was met with a bunch of eyes.

"Um….." She stared, not sure what to say.

L blinked, "Ana-san, next time you decide to leave, please inform me." He told her.

She stared at him, a small smile on her face, "And next time I decide to leave without your permission, and you see me, because I saw you looking at me, how about you try and stop me from leaving." She countered. "Because for you to tell me to tell you when I'm leaving and both of us knowing that you saw me leaving, leaves your demand invalid."

L stared at her and she stared right back at him, unwavering. Everyone else just looked between the two, wondering what the heck was going on. Light, on the other hand, was getting annoyed….and fast.

"Continuing on….." He cut in. "We were just talking about how we were going to try and meet the second Kira at various checkpoints around the Dome, on the 13th. And, earlier, we were discussing what the second Kira meant in the video."

L, breaking eye contact with Ana, looked at Light. "Yes, and on the 22nd the second Kira is meeting with a friend in Aoyama. And, on the 24th, he's meeting another friend in Shibuya. So, we have to be prepared for the possibility that all our efforts will be fruitless. So, with that, let's keep our eyes out for people with notebooks in both areas, including the clothing stores." He held a piece of paper in front of him. "All we can do is place more surveillance cameras in Aoyama and Shibuya in hopes that we might catch something. We could also arrange to have undercover officers in both locations of those dates."

"I volunteer." Matsuda said, after a moment. "I'd probably bend in easily with the crowd."

Light nodded, "I'll go as well, to cover more ground." He said.

Ana looked at him, "I should go as well." She said. "Two is alright, but three is a charm."

Matsuda smiled at her little joke whilst Light just shook his head.

"No, it's too dangerous." He said. "I'd be devastated if something were to happen to you under our watch."

She raised an eyebrow, "Under your watch?" She scoffed. "I'm 23, not five you know." Then she looked elsewhere. "Besides, it'll help move the investigation along if three of us go instead of two."

Light opened his mouth, to protest again.

"Light, though I too am against this, she does make a point in how this will help move the investigation along." L said. "But, I am giving you and Matsuda orders to keep an eye on her. If anything happens to her the consequences will vary."

Light nodded, reluctantly whilst Ana's eye just twitched lightly. Why were they treating her like she couldn't take care of herself, huh? She didn't see L demand someone to watch after Light or Matsuda, nope, no one but herself.

"I hope he's not being sexist." She thought, peeved for now. Taking a quick breather, she smiled, "I'll be back, I'm just going to go fix me something to eat."

L looked at her, "I don't think…." He paused at her look that clearly said "Don't mess with me right now" before she walked out.

"Ooooh….."

"Shut up Matsuda."

* * *

Ha-ha! Seems L and Light made Raina (Ana) angry. I wonder how they feel about that, hm. And do you really think L doesn't think she can protect herself? _Or_ do you think there's another reason behind it?

And it seems that someone, -cough-…Light….is making his, -cough-….feelings….a little obvious here. I wonder what Ana thinks of that. I wonder what _L_ thinks of that.

Anyways, I want to all to review like you've been doing and to also check out the trailer I should be posting in a few minutes on YouTube. If the link isn't in my bio right now then check for it later on, okay? Alright.

See you later!


	22. Difficulties

Hi! Welcome to the next chapter of "Expressing Yourself."

A/N: I just want you all to know that starting today I will try to work on a chapter a day, at least when it's my week to be on the computer the most. Any other time, I'm not entirely sure of as of right now. But, I can guarantee that I can work on it this week….hm…maybe I can have seven chapters done for next week. Then I can update each day! Won't that be great?

Also, I've posted the video link to the trailer for this story inside my profile. And, if you know how, could you please explain to me how to get my related videos to relate to the video that I've uploaded. I've tried this about 5 times and it still doesn't work out. So, if you know, please tell me how.

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

After Ana left the room, L turned around whilst Light just looked at the door.

Scrunching his eyebrows, "What was that about?" He questioned. "We just don't want her to come to any harm."

"More than likely she thinks we're being sexist as of this moment." L explained. "It may just be a result of something that has happened in her past." He picked up a piece of paper. "It's best to not to dwell on it too long though. She'll come around."

Light took one last look at the door before walking over to help the others. "Maybe…." He murmured.

* * *

-22-

* * *

Ana was sitting down in her room, holding what looked like a picture frame in her hand.

"You were always so protective of me." She thought, with a sad smile. "I don't want anyone else to try and act just like you did." She frowned. "Does that make me selfish?"

Of course, the picture didn't answer, nor would it ever answer.

She stared at the photo for a few seconds before yawning. "Man, I'm tired." She thought, tiresomely. She looked towards the door. "L and Light can wait for me to apologize later."

And with that she lowered herself onto her bed and dozed off into the land of dreams.

* * *

-22-

* * *

**L's POV**

It's been a few hours since Ana-san retreated from the common room. I had expected her to come back in under an hour, but it appears that I was mistaken of her anger.

Placing my thumb near my mouth, "Perhaps someone should've gone after her." I looked around noticing that some of the taskforce members were dozing off.

Carefully, I slid to the floor and made my way towards the door.

"Where are you going, Ryuzaki?" Light questioned.

"To get more cake." It wasn't the whole truth, but I was hungry, and I needed sugar. Cake would do me justice right about now.

Awaiting that moment, I continued on down the hallway, passing some empty rooms before reaching my destination. I knocked on the door a couple of times.

I waited three minutes and nothing happened.

Taking this as a sign of entry, I turned the doorknob and the door opened with a creak. The light from the hallway shone into the darkened room. My eyes, already adjusting to the dark, scanned over the room before I noticed a figure lying on the bed close by.

Continuing on, I walked over to the edge of the bed, opting to wake her up when I noticed something lying close to her side. If she had turned over, it would've been trapped beneath her.

Slowly, I picked the object up with my hand. It was a picture frame, holding the picture of an elder person and three kids. My eyes traveled towards the one hanging on his back. Then they drifted to Ana, who was still slumbering away.

My thoughts traveled to what happened earlier and what I found now. There was a 75% chance that these two occurrences were related somehow.

Placing the picture back in its previous spot, I put it in my mind to have a chat with Ana later on as I walked out the door. I took one last look at the sleeping girl before closing the door behind me.

* * *

-22-

* * *

_The Next Day…._

Ana, who was wide awake now, was standing in the common room with Matsuda. They were both waiting for Light to arrive for their mission today.

"Ana-san?" L called.

She looked at him, "Hm?"

He looked at her, "I wish to speak to you when you return. Around dinner time, is that okay?"

"Yeah, that'll be fine."

"Good."

It was at that moment the door behind her opened to reveal Light, dressed and ready to go.

She shook my head at him, "I could've been here 10 minutes ago, what took you so long?" She questioned.

He looked at her, "Well, I did stay here for most of the night, so going home, taking a shower, and getting clothes ready take time." He explained.

She didn't comment on that, "Well, we'd best be getting to Aoyama." She turned towards L. "See you later."

Then she, Matsuda, and Light walked out the door.

….

Ana stared at all the people who were in front of them, Light's so called friends. She would've been alright with it if it wasn't for the fact that one of them was smiling at her.

A bit creeped out and trying not to think about it too much, she turned towards Matsuda to see him smiling, nervously.

"Calm down, Matsui." She told him. "You'll be fine, trust me."

He looked at her, "But what if…you know…does ….you know." He told her. "After all they only need a…you know."

Ana shook her head at him, "We'll be fine, and with this crowd around us, I highly doubt that anything like that will happen." She said. "So take a chill pill and cool down."

Taking a breath of air, "Alright." He agreed before looking at Light who was just coming back from the bathroom.

"Alright," He announced. "Since all introductions are done, let's head on to Aoyama, shall we?"

Sounds of agreement rang in the air before everyone dispersed down a general path. As Ana was walking, one of Light's friends backtracked over to her.

"Hi." He greeted.

She gave him a small smile, "Hi."

"I was just wondering, because you seem like this type of person, but have you checked out the new bookstore that they've just opened in Roppongi?"

She shook her head, "No, I haven't had the time to get out much actually." She revealed. "I'm glad I'm off the hook today, actually." She grinned. "But it'd be nice to check out the store, I believe I need to buy some more books anyways."

He smiled, "Well then, when we get there, would you mind if I escort you?" He asked.

"I'll need someone to point it out for me….so I suppose that you can."

"Awesome."

* * *

-22-

* * *

**Light's POV**

As we were walking I resisted the urge to turn around and yank Masaki away from Ana. Was I jealous of how well they were getting along back there? No. I don't get jealous of anyone, especially anyone not worthy of myself.

My eyes slit towards the back, where Matsuda had joined in their conversation, and now laughing about something. I suppose it's alright, as long as they don't go anywhere alone.

* * *

-22-

* * *

**Author's POV**

After Aoyama, Matsuda reported to Light and Ana that he hadn't seen nor hair or sight of someone who could be the 2nd Kira. And, unfortunately, Light and Ana had to give the same report.

After that they headed off to Roppongi, but before that Masaki stopped Light in the middle of their walk.

"Hey Light, you mind if Ana and I check out the bookstore when we get to Roppongi?" He asked. "She said she would like to get some new books, and, since I brought it up, I wanted to be the one to show her around the place."

Light smiled, though no one could tell it was forced. "Sure, go ahead, I hope you two have fun." He said. He would've said no, but he didn't exactly have a reason to say it. But…..

"Hey, how about we all go with you two?" He questioned. "We're headed that way anyways I believe."

Masaki looked back at him, curious about his tone. Then he nodded, slowly, "Sure, that's fine." He agreed before walking back to Matsuda and Ana. Light watched him, narrowing his eyes when he wasn't looking.

How dare he address someone he just met so casually, of course he did the same thing when Ana and he met, but they were already close to being friends around that time so there was no question about it.

Tuning back into his surroundings, Light continued to walk till they got to Roppongi.

* * *

-22-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

Once we arrived at Roppongi, my eyes immediately scanned the area for Misa. This is one of the few times where I didn't actually know what I was going to see, or how. In the anime they never showed where Misa was, I mean I've read about people mentioning where she was, but that came from their own imaginations. That's the main reason why I wanted to come, I wanted to see the places that the show failed to show us viewers.

"Hopefully everything will turn out fine." I thought, a bit warily.

"Hey, are you alright?" Masaki asked, looking at me in concern.

I nodded, "Yeah, why do you ask?"

He shook his head, "No reason, you just looked worried about something."

I shrugged, "It's nothing I should be worrying about, and everything will turn out fine." I smiled. "Besides, this isn't the time for worrying it's time to have fun. So, where's this bookshop that you mentioned?"

He smiled, "We should be close by….oh! Here we go." He stopped in front of a white building, in its display counters were various books.

"So, this is the place, huh?" Light questioned, coming up beside me. I gave him a small smile.

"According to Masaki here it is." I confirmed before looking at my watch. "I'd better hurry up and choose what I need to get, it's getting kind of late."

Light nodded, "Yeah," He agreed. "I'll help you out, okay?"

I looked at him, "Alright, come on." I said before entering the store. The bell above the door chimed before shutting off as the door closed behind us.

"So, what are you looking for?" Light questioned.

"Well, I need one by Nicholas Sparks, and if they have it, it's titled "Safe Haven." Then I need one more book by Jay Asher which is titled "Thirteen Reasons Why." I explained to him. "The other books I have to search for myself."

He nodded, "Alright, I'll go look for it and we'll just call each other when we're done, okay?"

I nodded, "Alright."

Then we headed our separate ways; I immediately swerved over to a section of magazines. I needed a cookbook for cakes and pies, along with a Smitten Kitchen cookbook. Why did I need cookbooks? Well, to cook of course!

"Hm….." I pondered whilst picking up various books. None of them were what I was looking for.

I moved onto the next area of books, picking up one after another, and still not finding what I was looking for. Then, finally, I headed towards the last area of books and found a book on cakes and pies, but not a Smitten Kitchen cookbook.

"I guess I can look elsewhere." I thought before heading towards where I saw Light go last.

"Hey!" I turned around to see said person walking up to me. "Did you get what you needed?" He held out two books to me. "I found the ones you told me to…they look interesting."

I smiled, taking them from him, "Yeah, one is about a girl who sends 13 videos to these people who were involved with here before she kills herself. Then the other one, I haven't read it yet, but one of my friends recommended it."

He nodded, "Oh, well we'd better get a move on." He suggested before moving over to the counter. I followed him and placed the books on top of it. After the guy scanned them and told me the price, I was about to grab my wallet when Light, surprisingly, paid for everything.

"What are you doing?" I questioned. "You don't have to do that."

He smiled, "I know." He said. "I **want** to do it."

I stared at him for a couple of seconds before closing my eyes in amusement, "Thanks." I told him as he carried the bag of books for me. "But don't make a habit of this."

He chuckled, "I won't." He reassured. "There are some things that you have to pay for yourself, I know, I know."

I nodded before we walked out of the store to see Matsuda standing there. He looked between the both of us for a moment.

"The others left, because it was getting late." He said before holding out a slip of paper to me. "This is from Masaki, he said call him if you ever need anything."

I looked at the slip of paper, before taking it away from him. "Thanks." I told him. "Well, since everyone left, and I see neither a hair nor sign of the 2nd Kira." I whispered that last part. "We can head on back and tell Ryuzaki our findings."

Light nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

Then we headed back towards the exit, not noticing someone coming out of the bookstore behind us, staring at us, and glaring at me.

* * *

-22-

* * *

Back at Headquarters Inc. L asked us of our findings.

"Nothing significant." I answered, truthfully.

"Sorry we didn't find anything." Matsuda apologized.

Light looked at him, "Don't be sorry, I'm sure that the 2nd Kira wouldn't have made it so easy to find him."

L nodded, "I agree." He told us. "Nevertheless, besides the 2nd Kira, did anything else happen?"

Matsuda nodded, "Yeah! A guy gave Ana his phone number." He announced causing the girl to glare at him.

"Matsuda." She hissed. "I don't think that's what he meant." She was embarrassed and she didn't want anyone to know that Masaki gave her his number. But now it was out in the open for all to question.

"Is that so?" L questioned, turning back around. "Well, hopefully you won't be careless and allow something like this to happen again. It is crucial that no outsiders get close to this case, understand?"

I gaped at him before balling my fist at my side.

I laughed, "You know what, and I was so ready to forgive you too." I said, darkly. "But I guess I was wrong in thinking that someone like you deserves my kindness." I turned around, pissed. "I'll be in my room if anybody, but _**L**_, needs me." Then I stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

Though, I had to smile, because the moment I left both Matsuda and Light started to reprimand L for what he said.

Looking down, I smiled sadly, "At least someone cares…." I thought before dragging myself to my room.

* * *

Well L, looks like you lost out on your chance to receive some forgiveness. Wonder what that was all about? If you think you know, post it in a review, and if you're not sure, then do whatever it is you do when these chapters are over with.

See you all later!


	23. Making Amends

Hi! Welcome to the next chapter of "Expressing Yourself."

A/N: I wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed since the last chapter. You guys are AWESOME!

* * *

_Expressing Yourself_

* * *

After waiting for about two hours, L decided to go and directly apologize to Ana. And in that time he had the time to think about what he said towards her to make her react in such a way. Of course, he couldn't really be sure unless he talked to the source first. But, maybe he was correct in why she got angry at his words.

Nevertheless, as he was walking down the hallway towards her room, his percentage of her still being angry with him went up by about 3%. And, once he reached her door, 2%.

He stared at the door for a moment before he forced himself to knock on it. There was nothing to be afraid of, not that he was afraid. It's not like she would hurt him, right? Right?

After a few minutes of shuffling from the other side, the door opened.

L expected more yelling, but instead he was met with a, "What do you want?"

Looking up, he noticed her defeated expression. Her eyes were drawn down to the floor, in an obvious attempt to not look at him.

Shuffling a bit, awkwardly, "How are you?" L asked.

"Fine, as of this moment." She answered. "How about you?"

He shrugged, "Okay"

There was silence between the two for a moment and the longer it went on the more awkward it got.

"Why are you here?" Ana asked.

L looked up at her, "I owe you an apology, but of course, seeing that you're alright is the first step in getting you to forgive me, if I am correct in saying." He explained.

Finally, she looked up at him, somewhat amused now, "You sound like a computer." She commented before stepping to the side. "If you're here to apologize, let's see you move then."

Walking past her, L glanced at her from the corner of his eyes to see something staring back at him in her eyes. What it was, he honestly couldn't answer.

After he walked in, Ana closed the door behind her and turned on the ceiling lights. Immediately the room brightened up.

"So, let's get started." She told him before moving to sit on her bed. L, who had pulled up a chair sat in front of her.

"I bought cake."

She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

He took something out of the bag he placed next to him and held it up to her. It was plastic wrapped strawberry cake.

For a moment she stared at it, and then she looked up at L, "Are you trying to buy my forgiveness?" She questioned.

"To buy your forgiveness that would mean that I would've had to go out and buy you something." He explained to her. "I simply just took this from my personal stash and thought to give it to you." He shrugged. "You must be hungry after being in here so long."

She shook her head, "You're something else, you know that?" She questioned before taking the slice of cake out of his hands. "Now, do you know why you are apologizing to me? That's my main question."

"I've pondered the reasons before I came to one that may be the reason….." He looked at her. "But of course the real reason only you know."

She nodded, "Well then, let's hear your reason." She made a motion for him to continue on.

"It is from my deductions that something I said might've triggered something that was bottled up inside of you, if that's what they say now." He explained. "Of course, being the person that you are, it has to be something of importance."

Ana raised an eyebrow, "What kind of person do you think I am, L?" She questioned.

He blinked, thinking once again, "You are a…very…."

"You can stop there."

He looked up to her slightly smiling at him, "What?" He asked.

She leaned forwards a bit, resting her elbows on her knees, "You came here and offered an apology." She explained. "And though you are terrible bad at it, you still tried to make it all better." She gave him a sincere smile. "And that's worthy of my forgiveness."

L smiled at her, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. "Thank you."

She shook her head, "No, thank you." She held up the cake. "For this wonderful cake. Who would've thought that you would actually give away a piece of your cake? Especially after the way you acted when I took your strawberry away from you."

He nodded, "Yes, I do agree with you on that point." He told her. "Nevertheless, if I may ask, what caused you to react in such a way to my words?"

It was at this point her expression changed from an amused one to a dejected one. She sighed, "I believe you deserve to hear this story." She looked at him. "It's the least I can do after what I said to you." She took a breath. "The source of my reaction, to your words, comes from someone in my past….my brother. He would treat me the same way that you did, thinking that I did this wrong or that I was being careless about something. Of course, being him, that's how he showed he cared. But, I was young and a fool at the time, so I just thought he was being bossy. So, one day, I left the house earlier than usual." She fumbled with her hands for a moment, seemingly trying to distract herself. L just looked on, interested. "Later on, whilst I was walking, a car drove up beside me. Of course, I was told of what to do if something like that happened so I took off running. The car followed me every step of the way until I hit a dead end at an unfinished street. About three people, all guys, got out of the car. They didn't look like your natural kidnappers but they were still creepy looking. Anyways, as the advanced on me, I didn't notice someone coming up behind them….that is until they jumped on one of the guys back. It was my brother, you see, and he had followed me up until the point that the car came up. I was running track at that time, so I was a bit faster than him so he couldn't exactly keep up with me when I took off." She gulped. "Anyways, back to the point…..he…..died trying to save me that day. One of the guys had pulled out a gun and tried to shoot at him, but hit his friend as well causing them both to bleed until the ambulance came. But by that point they had lost too much blood to be saved."

After a moment of silence, L nodded, "I understand."

She smiled, "Thanks," She said. "For not saying that you're sorry."

He smiled a little, "You're welcome." Then he proceeded to stand to stand up.

"Hey?" He looked up at her. "The next time that I'm angry at you for something, try making me a smoothie." She smiled and winked, playfully, at him. "You might not have to apologize at all."

He nodded, "I'll note that for later." He responded. "So….are we friends now?"

She tilted her head, "We were friends before, but we just never made it official." She told him. "But, yes, I suppose that we are official friends now. And since that's the case, you can stop calling me Ana-san." She smiled. "You can just call me Ana."

"Okay, Ana." He said. "Just another quick question, then I'll be on my way. The number, which you received today, will you be using it?"

She shook her head, "No, I threw it away actually." She told him. "I'm not about to involve myself with anyone right now, especially not during the Kira investigation. Besides we have no clue what could happen between now and the end." She explained. "I could…die…and I don't think I would want to put someone I love through that kind of pain."

At that L turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him. Once he was on the other side, he placed his thumb near his mouth, thoughtful of what just occurred. After a moment he turned and headed down the hallway.

* * *

Yay! They're friends now. I wonder how Light will react to L calling Ana just that, Ana. And, giving this moment, now L is closer to her than Light is. I wonder how he feels about that. Maybe that's what he was thinking about at the end there….but who knows right?

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will see you all maybe Monday….or Tuesday, depends on how I what I do today.


	24. To Be, or Not to Be, Healthy

Hi! Welcome to the next chapter of "Expressing Yourself."

Yeah, so now L and Ana are a bit close, hm? You all want to know what's going to happen next, right? Well, depending on how I feel, something _may_ just happen in this chapter that may just push someone a bit further…..or push them back a bit. Hehe….let's find out and see, shall we?

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I was sitting beneath a tree, content, as I lazily glanced up at the sky. This was one of my pastime hobbies that I enjoyed ever so much. Who knew that the University could provide so much relaxation opportunities?

Anyways, I turned over and faced L, whom I forced to come here with me. Though, he was reading notes and not doing what I brought him out here to do.

"You should relax." I told him. "It'll help a lot in cases like these."

His eyes slid over to me, "I do believe that me being here is relaxation enough." He said.

I pouted, "But that's not relaxing." I countered before taking the notes out of his hands. "Reading notes is what you do when you're _not_ relaxing. Relaxing is when you let all your worries flow away from you for just _one_ moment…." I smiled. "….and just basking in the feeling from letting it all free."

I looked at him again only to see him staring at me, thoughtfully.

"What?" I questioned. "Did I say something?"

He shook his head, "It doesn't matter." He commented. "Here comes Light."

I looked around him to see Light headed towards us, and on his arm, was none other than Kiyomi Takada.

"Hey Light!" L called out, in student mode now. Sighing, relaxation time over, I stood up next to him just as Light reached us.

"Hello, Light." I waved before looking at Takada. "You…..You're Kiyomi, Takada correct?"

I noticed her look me up and down, as if deciding if I was worth her time, "Yes, why?" She questioned in a superior manner. If it wasn't for the fact that I was so nice, I would slap this girl. Not because of now, but because of the absurdity that she's supposed to be involved in down the path. Then she dies, of course, which I have to say made my day.

Anyways, I just gave her a smile, "Just checking is all." I answered before looking at Light. "So, what's up?"

"Kiyomi, could we continue our chat later?" Light asked, barely looking at her. "I need a moment alone with them."

"Um, okay….." She answered, confused albeit a bit insulted before stomping off irritably. I stared after her as well as L.

"I hope she's not upset." L commented.

I shook my head, "People like her are always upset over the little things."

L raised an eyebrow, "People like her?" He repeated.

I nodded, "Yes, people who think that they are better than the rest of us." I explained. "It's very common in most families to have someone like this."

Light nodded, "Anyways," He turned towards L. "Are you sure that it's okay to be here? I thought you said that you were afraid to appear in public."

L blinked, "I did." He conceded. ""But I realized as long as you're not Kira, I should be safe." I gave him a look whilst Light's eye twitched. "The fact is that you and Ana are the only two who know my identity as L on the outside." He paused. "And, in the unlikely event that I die in the next few days, I've instructed your father and everyone at headquarters to assume you're Kira." I watched as Light's eyes flashed for a brief second. "Besides," He glanced at me. "Ana forced me to come."

I nodded, "Yeah, he needs to relax at some point in time." I said. "I mean who cares if you're the world's greatest detective. You still need to rest every now and again." I gave L a look. "It seriously cannot be healthy being stuck up in a hotel room every day, eating nothing but sweets."

"I do believe that strawberries are not a type of sweet." L countered.

"But you eat them in cake." I countered back. "That's not healthy." I smiled. "Hey, I know what I'll do…."

Light looked between us, "What?" He questioned.

I smiled, "You'll see." I said.

He just shook his head, amused, "Well, I have to admit," He looked at L. "without you around, intelligence is very hard to come by."

I pouted, "That's rude of you, Light." I admitted. "We have intelligent conversations all the time before heading off to class."

"Well, that explains why you were hanging out with Miss Takada I presume?" L commented.

"Yeah, something like that." Light responded.

After that silence fell and I looked between Light and L before rolling my eyes.

"Hey." They looked at me.

I tilted my head, "Want to head over to the cafeteria with me?" I asked. "I believe that they have some carrot cake out on the shelves."

"Weren't you just reprimanding Ryuuga on his eating habits?" Light questioned.

I shrugged, "I eat healthy." I told him. "But he eats junk food almost every day, which I understand because it keeps him awake, but…." I smiled. "It doesn't hurt to change habits every now and again."

L rubbed his lip with his thumb for a moment, "Interesting, most people wouldn't understand that about me." He admitted. "But you seemed to have understood right off the bat."

I shrugged, again, "Hey, when you're a detective working long nights, you'll need all you can to stay awake." I said. "And it's especially hard since you're number one."

L stared at me for a couple of more minutes before turning his gaze as shout nearby gained his and my attention.

"Hey Light!" A high pitched voice called. "There you are!"

I didn't even have to lean over to the side to see who that voice belonged to. And now, here's where everything truly starts.

"Misa had a photo shoot nearby, so Misa thought she'd come by and see you!" Then her attention turned towards L and me. I saw her eyes flash a bit, looking at me, before she smiled. "Oh, these must be friends of yours." She stepped closer to us, thoughtful. "He," She looked at L. "Looks so unique and different. Hi there! I'm Misa Amane! It's nice to meet you!"

I looked at L for a moment to see him staring at her, his dark eyes widened. I shook my head before smiling at Misa, "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Amane." I said. "I've been a fan of yours for a while now." I chuckled. "Who'd ever thought the day would come when I would meet someone famous like you, hm?" I shook my head. "Anyways, my name is Ana, Ana Emerson."

"I'm Hideki Ryuuga." L introduced, quietly. Misa tilted her head to the side, apparently about to say something when Light interrupted.

"Yeah, he has the same name as that famous pop idol. Uncanny, isn't it?" Misa just took one more look at L and then at me. However, it was at this moment that L decided to start chuckling, attracting Light's attention. For what reason? Well, isn't it obvious?

"Light, you're a lucky guy." L finally said, breaking the tension a bit. Light stared at him in surprise. L turned towards Misa, "I too am a fan of yours, ever since the August issue of _Eighteen_ in fact." I looked at him, and tilted my head.

"You read magazines, Ryuuga?" I questioned, playing along.

Nevertheless, L ignored my question as Misa squealed.

"Really?" She questioned, happily. "That's so sweet of you!" She paused. "Of the _both_ of you."

And of course, who to come over next but a fan-mob of Misa's. So now I was a bit pressed and a bit annoyed at the tight space around us. Sorry, but I don't do well when in these kinds of situations. I guess you can say I'm kind of claustrophobic."

After a moment I felt someone tugging at my sleeve. I looked over to see Light staring at me, ignoring the others for just a second.

"Are you alright, Ana?" He questioned. "You look a bit pale."

I did?

"Oh….." I muttered. "Sorry, I hate being surrounded by so many people like this...I'm a bit claustrophobic."

His eyes widened a bit at this revelation, "Oh, well you can wait for Ryuuga and I by the tree if you want to." He smiled. "I wouldn't want you to pass out or anything like that."

I stared at him for a moment, "Thanks….." I said. "I'll be over there." I pointed towards a bench before maneuvering my way around the crowd. Along the way I heard Misa cry out, "No Way! Someone touched my butt!" I shook my head, knowing it was L, before sitting down on a bench regaining my serenity.

But, I continued to watch the crowd though as it dispersed once Misa was dragged off by her manager. Then I watched as L said something to Light before looking over in my general direction. After a few more seconds of talking he walked over towards me.

After coming close enough, "You look pale, Ana." He commented.

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, I have been informed of my somewhat sickly look already." I commented. Maybe it came out a bit harshly because he continued to stare at me, eyebrow raised.

Sighing, "Sorry for snapping at you." I apologized. "I just don't like it when people surround me like that."

"You're claustrophobic, is that correct?"

I stared at him, "Did Light tell you that?" I questioned.

"No, I simply took the fact that you never surround me at headquarters when the others do nor do you situate yourself with a lot of people like Light does. And from there I deducted that you may be afraid of having no escape, or being closed in." He explained like it was a simple thing.

I shook my head, "And once again I say that you are something else." I said. "So, where's Light? And what are you going to…."

I was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. Of course I knew what it was, but I still couldn't help but feel relieved about the fact that it wasn't _my_ phone that was ringing. I don't think I could handle another trip down dimension lane.

Anyways, I tuned back in as L answered the phone, "Hello?" He questioned.

"What do you mean hello?" Light's muffled voice asked from the other side. I stifled a laugh, barely.

"Oh Light, is that you?" L asked in mock shock. "I guess someone must've dropped this in all the commotion earlier." I looked behind him as Light approached us, though L pretended not to notice.

"That's Misa's cell phone." He said as L turned around towards him. "I can give it back to her."

"Ah, that makes sense." L commented before giving him the cellular device. But, it was only a few seconds later that another phone rang. "Oh, that's me…." He pulled his phone up to his ear. "Yes?" There was a moment of silence. "Yes I see….So it's done then….I understand." He ended the call and placed his phone back into his pocket. Then he turned towards Light, all professional like.

"I'm not sure how you'll take this," He began. "but regarding Misa Amane. There's something you should know. We've taken her into custody under the suspicion of being the second Kira. We've gathered physical evidence from the envelopes sent by the second Kira." He paused. "In particular we found hairs and fibers from the mask tape used to seal them. They have matched what we found in Misa's room. There would be a public scandal if word got out about this, so we're just sticking to the story that her manager has being charged with drug possession and that Misa is a witness. But, I doubt that any of this will get out," Without glancing at Light, he turned towards me.

"Come along, Ana." He said. "I believe you suggested cake earlier, no?"

I rolled my eyes before standing up only to wobble back and forwards as my vision swirled before me for a moment. I felt a pair of arms around me. Blinking, I looked up to see two faces staring at me.

"Ana, are you alright?" Light questioned, worried.

L looked up at him, "She nearly fainted, so I don't believe that qualifies as being alright Light." He retorted before looking back at me.

"I haven't had dizzy spells since I was ten." I muttered before he could say something. "I took medicine to help it out and it went away after that." I sighed. "Must've been from the claustrophobia."

"I believe we should head back to headquarters." L suggested.

Light nodded, "Yeah, you need to rest." He agreed before looking at L. "Let me carry her, alright? At least until she's in the car."

I blinked, a bit wide-eyed. L was the one who caught me? Hehe….that's a surprise.

Anyways, there was silence for a moment before I felt myself being shifted into someone's arms. I immediately wrapped my arms around Light's neck, a habit I've had for the longest when I was off the ground for more than a second.

But, the thing that scared me was that I was comfortable…..but that shouldn't be, right?

* * *

-24-

* * *

**L's POV**

As Light placed Ana into the car, gently, my thoughts wandered to her response to what was going on with her earlier. It seemed like it was much more than just claustrophobia to me.

"Well, get some rest Ana." Light commented, breaking my thoughts. He turned towards me, "Make sure she doesn't stress herself out too much."

I blinked, a bit surprised. Not because of what he said but how he said it. He seemed genuinely concerned for her.

My eyes slid to the girl, her head now leaning against the window pane. "She'll be in good hands." I reassured Light before entering the car myself. "Sorry we couldn't chat some more, perhaps another day."

And at that I closed the door and felt the car shift as we moved down the street. I looked at Ana, whose eyes looked a bit glazed over now.

"Ana?" She looked at me, obviously not too far in her thoughts.

She sighed, "Vertigo is a hereditary trait in my family." She explained. "I don't know why, but it skipped my mother and my brother but not me." She looked away. "I would always feel like I'm about to pass out, but never have exactly passed out."

I nodded, "I see."

She sat up, staring me straight in the eyes, "Don't think that this will affect how I think or do things to help with the case." She told me. "Because it won't."

I shook my head, "I have full confidence that Ana can take care of herself." I said.

She gave a small smile, "Thank you."

"You are welcome."

* * *

-25-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

After I arrived back at headquarters and leaning on L, because I didn't want to be picked up, everyone started asking questioned. L answered most of them, but not all, out of respect for me. It was then that he asked that no one bother me until they were given the "okay."

And so now I was lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling.

I hadn't told L the whole truth, no, not all of it. It had to deal with something else that happened to me as I was growing up, something that affects me until this very day. But that's a story for another time….

* * *

I'm surprised that L catched Raina, I thought that Light would be more likely to do something like that. I guess you can't judge people like that, hm?

Anyways, I wonder what's wrong with Raina. Seems serious….And no, she's not pregnant so don't you even ask me that. Sheesh, who would she have sex with in this time and place? No one, that's who.

Now, I'll see you all at some point this week. Until then, I bid you all adieu!


	25. Dark

Hello! Did you know it was 6:11 in the morning when I started on this? Yeah, I didn't realize that until I looked at the clock. My alarm isn't set to go off until 6:40 and somehow I had mistaken that with 5:40. But I was already up, so I just stayed up. Man, I'm beat…

And, OMG, I currently have 104 reviews on my story. Yay me! –Claps- I wanted to thank all of you who helped me achieve this goal. I feel so special :')

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I was sitting in the common room and the lights were off, which created a sort of unnerving glow from the monitors as we watched Misa. My eyes slide towards L. He said that he wanted me in here to keep an eye out me, because of my "episode" yesterday.

I turned back towards the monitors. Misa was being restrained in a room nearby, bound, blindfolded, and gagged. Her small figure was covered from the neck down in a straight coat, preventing movement. And she was whimpering, which I had to wince at.

"Ryuzaki! What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Yagami questioned, angrily.

"I've apprehended her under the suspicion of being the second Kira," L explained. "I'm afraid this was necessary."

"Chances are Amane is guilty, I suppose. There seems to be enough evidence to convict her…but all the same…." Mr. Yagami trailed off, leaving the issue alone.

"Yes there can be no mistake. Now we need a confession out of her." L spoke. "We need to know how she kills, whether she knows Kira, and if so who he is." He glanced out of the corner of his eyes. "Watari take the necessary precautions, but beyond that do whatever has to be done. Just make her speak."

I felt myself being pulled off into another world as everything around me suddenly became that much darker. I couldn't feel a thing nor hear a thing. All I saw was dark, pitch black dark.

"Ana?" That seemed to snap me out of my illusion as I turned to face L, a bit unsteady.

"Yes?"

"I wish for you to go your room." He instructed politely. "I do not wish for you to see what we're about to do nor do I wish that this may affect your health."

I stared at him for a moment before getting up and walking towards the door. God….I need a smoothie, and music, yeah…music will help.

* * *

-25-

* * *

I was sitting in my room, cross-legged on my bed, mp3 in hand, when a knock came upon my door.

"Who is it?" I called out.

"That would be me, Miss Emerson." Came a voice. It was Watari.

"I wonder what he wants." I pondered before walking over to the door. I opened it ever so slightly looking at the man on the other side, "Did you need something?"

He smiled, "I was sent by Ryuzaki to see how you were coping." He answered. "He says that you may return to the room, we're finished."

I resisted the urge to wince, again. Instead, I smiled and nodded. "Alright, tell him I'll be in there in a moment." I told him.

"Will do," He nodded. "And, if any consolation, Ryuzaki doesn't wish to go this low…."

I closed my eyes, "But every now and again a detective must, to get what he or she wants." I finished. "Yeah, I know."

He smiled again, "Ah, he was right." He said. "You do seem to understand him."

I shrugged, "Anyone else could too, so it's no big deal." I said. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I will be leaving now." He nodded in my direction. "I hope you feel better, Miss Emerson." He walked off down the hallway and I stared after him before closing my door. My heart was slightly racing.

"What does he know?" I wondered. "Does he know _what_ happened?" I shook my head, calming myself down. "No, there's no way, no how that he knows what happened on _that_ day…." I straightened myself up.

I glanced back at the door. But it was Watari, someone who managed to know more than he spoke of.

But, I was from another dimension. So he couldn't know what happened, right?

* * *

-25-

* * *

Misa was no longer gagged, which calmed me down a bit, but she was still blindfolded and bound. I was reading some documents that were printed earlier as a distraction for me.

A small cry rang through the air and I felt myself shiver slightly. I glanced up from behind the papers to see Matsuda giving me a smile of encouragement. I smiled lightly, at least I wasn't the only one disturbed by this whole situation.

I looked back down, glancing back at the documents. I had finished reading them about 3 reads ago, but I wanted something, something, to tune out….

My thoughts were interrupted by a phone ringing. Huh? I racked my brain to try and figure out what was going on, when I had a light-bulb moment. Light was coming, he was going to convince the others to blindfold and bind him out his own suspicions of being Kira, then his father would follow in his footsteps to try and avoid any emotional distress.

I looked down to see my hands had unconsciously tightened around the documents. I tried to relax myself, but no avail. I looked up to see that the others hadn't noticed my moment. I would probably be questioned if they had. And I didn't need that right now.

I glanced at the door as it swung open and Light walking through it. I didn't stand, but instead watched the scene before me.

"Ryuzaki," He spoke. "Like I said over the phone…." His head dropped. "I could be Kira." That one sentence had everyone gasping, even me, surprisingly. Maybe this whole thing was getting to me now.

I watched as Mr. Yagami staggered backwards in shock before walking up to Light, shaking his shoulders. I wasn't friends with the man, or hardly acquaintances, but it didn't stop me from being afraid for him at this moment.

"No Light! What are you talking about? Why are you talking like that?" Mr. Yagami demanded.

Light avoided looking at him, "Look Dad, if Ryuzaki is L, it's safe to say that he's the world's greatest detective." He explained. "And right now he seems convinced I'm not Kira….." He sighed. "And we know L's never been wrong before."

"W-what are you saying Light? Stop this!"

"What about the FBI agent? Raye Penbar. It was me he was investigating before he died. And I was in Aoyama on the twenty-second." I shook my head, this all seemed familiar to me. Not Anime familiar, but a different kind of familiar. "Also I'm the first person in the Kanto region, besides Misa, the alleged second Kira, to be accused." He stared down at his hands. "You see, I maybe Kira, subconsciously that is. If that were the case, I could be him and not even know it."

"No, Light." Mr. Yagami interrupted, voice cracking.

"I-I'm not sure of anything anymore. I'd never kill someone, but unconsciously, who knows what I'm capable of. Another me could be killing people as I sleep."

I wanted to applaud his almost believable act, but that would be suspicious, so I just silently chuckled behind my paper.

"I'm afraid that's not possible." L added.

"Not Possible? What do you mean?" Light asked.

L glanced at him, "Well I never mentioned this to you, but at one point I had hidden surveillance cameras in in your room for five days." He said.

Light's eyes widened, "Cameras?" He repeated, ignorantly.

"Yes, every single night you slept normally. Criminals whose names were broadcasted continued to die, even though you had no way of knowing about them. But it didn't prove your innocence to me. In fact, it just proved that if you were Kira, no amount of camera surveillance would reveal it."

"Wouldn't reveal that fact, huh?" Light muttered. "I don't know, it could be true. Though I have to admit, I've found myself thinking that some criminals deserve to die. If I can think like Kira, then how can I be sure I'm not actually him?"

Matsuda shook his head, "Hold on Light. I feel exactly the same way. I've found myself thinking before that some people would be better off dead. But still that doesn't mean we're gonna go out and kill people! Besides criminals were still being killed even though you had no knowledge of them. I mean the surveillance cameras proved it, didn't they?" He said.

"Well, no. Because we were short on investigators at the time," Aizawa explained. "we only watched him when he was at home. Truth is we weren't able to watch him every hour of the day. He could've found some way to kill those criminals whilst he wasn't at home."

"Honestly, I don't like the way all of this going at all." L admitted. He turned towards Light, "But what choice do I have? Let's do it." He looked at Aizawa. "I need you to restrain Light and place him in solitary confinement."

"What! You can't!" Mr. Yagami protested.

"You want to confine him, seriously?" Matsuda questioned, skeptic of the whole idea.

I decided to step in here, "If Light is proven to not be Kira during all this, and then we can move onto finding the real Kira." I explained. "So why not start now?"

"Right." L agreed. He looked at Light, "From this point on, I can't allow you to go anywhere I can't see you."

"This is crazy! There's no way my son can be Kira. My sons not capable-"

L stared at him, "Like Ana said if he's not Kira then we can move on to finding the real Kira." He said. "And if you believe that he isn't Kira, then there should be no worries."

Light nodded, "Yeah," He said. "It's alright Dad, I'll be fine."

"Light stop this." Mr. Yagami pleaded. "Don't do this."

"Listen, something has to be done about this." Light explained. "As long as I'm having these doubts I can't work with you on the Kira case." He turned towards L. "Ryuzaki, promise me this, until you can say with absolutely certainty that I'm not Kira. So you can't set me free no matter what I say or what condition I might be in."

"You have my word." L agreed, soberly. He turned to Mr. Yagami, "Yagami-san, can you come up with some sort of excuse for Light's absence? Just something to tell your family. And please do it now."

"I still see no reason for why Light should be imprisoned!" Mr. Yagami said, exasperated.

"Let it go, Dad." Light argued. "If I don't do this, I won't be able to live with myself."

"But son, do you really mean that?"

Light ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, I believe that by giving up my freedom I'll be giving up the fear of being Kira within me." He was then dragged away to another room, a few minutes later coming out bounded, blindfolded, and temporarily deaf. There were earplugs in his ears.

"Aizawa, please take him away." L ordered.

Aizawa nodded before he led Light away.

* * *

-25-

* * *

I was sitting in a chair next to L, having decided to join him in watching Light and Misa. Of course, watching Misa made me a little sick to the stomach, but I wanted to keep an eye out on Light.

Being temporarily bound to the hotel, until everyone was sure I was better, left me sitting the hotel room each every day. That is until L ordered me to go to bed.

It was so quiet in the room that you could hear a pin drop. So when Mr. Yagami decided to speak, I was surprised for a moment.

"Ryuzaki, I'd like permission to be taken off of the investigation." He said, clearly exhausted. Behind him Aizawa and Matsuda cried out in protest. "I've thought about it, and the fact is, we're holding my son Light as a prime suspect. Given that, it's not appropriate for me to be here. When we spoke earlier, I wouldn't listen and my feelings got in the way. It's impossible for me to be objective in this situation."

"I agree with you." L said, taking a bit out of his food. "We can't let personal feelings get in the way."

"In truth, if the task force was to conclude that my son is Kira. I don't know what I'd be capable of." Mr. Yagami admitted.

"Yes, I agree with you there. I was curious as to what you would do. But, I do believe that you would kill your son before killing yourself." He took another bite. "I also agree that it's best that we don't have you working here now."

Mr. Yagami nodded, determined, "Ryuzaki, I'd like for you to confine me as well." He sighed. "At the moment I'm calm, but I'm not sure how long that will last."

"I thought you might ask that so I had Watari make arrangements." L told him. "But, your confinement will be different. You will keep your cell phone turned on and maintain regular contact with family and friends. We won't tell Light about this. If he does call you at some point, he must be made to believe you're still at headquarters. While you are in confinement, we will be giving you continuous updates on the investigation so you will know what is happening. So how does that sound to you?

"I'm grateful, thank you." L then called Watari before Mr. Yagami was taken away. Then he turned towards me.

"Ana?"

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, "Yes?" I asked.

"We've spoke on this before, but if you wish to leave then you may at any moment. I would understand your decision." He said.

I looked back at the monitors, "No, I still want to stay here." I said. "Besides…." I looked down. "I've seen worse…."

L didn't comment.

* * *

There you have it! And before you ask, yes, what Raina saw is related to what happened in the last chapter. What actually happened though will come up during a special chapter later on…..


	26. Innocence

Hello! Welcome to the newest chapter of Expressing Yourself.

A/N: I wanted to thank all of those who've stuck by my story, favored it, reviewed it, and followed it. It means a lot.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

After a few more days L finally allowed me to go outside again. But I had to have an escort just in case of emergencies. Luckily he chose Matsuda instead of one of the others. We have a lot of fun outside of the hotel.

It's also been a few days since L put Light under surveillance. I continued to watch him whenever I wasn't out, but nothing much happened, so during those times I was spending time with Watari. Man, I never knew how cool he was until now. Weird, isn't it?

I was just entering the L's hotel room when I heard Light speak, "Yeah, I know I must look pretty bad in here." He said. "But this useless pride, I suppose I'll have to get rid of it…." I had snuck up behind L to see Light on the monitor. I immediately saw the changes within him.

"So now we have innocent Light." I thought.

After a moment Light's eyes began to dart back and forth around his cell, unsure. "Ryuzaki!" L looked at him in surprise. "I realize I was the one pushing for confinement." His eyes darted to the camera. "And I asked you to put me in here, but I just realized something important." L blinked and tilted his head. "This whole this is completely pointless! Because I'm not Kira!"

"I can't let you free, Light." L responded. "I promised you that no matter what you said, I wouldn't let you go until I was sure you were not Kira."

"Please L! I wasn't thinking clearly! Do you really think a serial killer like Kira could commit those crimes without being aware of them?" He shook his head. "If I have no memory of his crimes then I'm not him!"

I bit my lip, "That's odd….." I muttered.

L turned towards me, "Care to enlighten me?" He asked.

I glanced between him and Light, "Earlier when he was talking, I felt like…like it was all for show, for lack of better words." I explained. "Now I feel like he's telling the truth."

L turned back towards the monitors, "I believe we may be on the same page." He said.

After that he continued to discuss the situation with Light until Light gave up and slumped to the cold, hard, ground.

* * *

-26-

* * *

**L's POV**

I watched as Ana continued to stare at me. She seemed very calm about the plan I just prepared in order to remove Light and Misa from confinement. I almost felt a sense of worry from her lack of emotion.

During the fifty days of confinement for Light, Misa, and Mr. Yagami, she'd been calm. The only discomfort she showed was when we were making Misa talk. But any other time she was quiet. And she seemed to stare off into the distance more often than normal.

"Ana, you've been quiet during most of the confinement." I told her. "Does this connect with what you told me earlier on?"

I was speaking of when she told me she's seen worse than what we were doing to Light and Misa. I didn't know what to make of that, so I stayed quiet. But I was curious….

She looked up at me, eyes slightly vacant, "Yes." She shrugged. "Maybe….who knows?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Are you worried about the successfulness of this plan?" I continued to push.

"No, I trust your judgment."

Knowing I would get no further, I turned towards the monitors. It was starting….

* * *

-26-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

"Are you sure this is necessary, Ryuzaki?" Light asked, holding up his wrist to reveal a silver handcuff attached to a chain. It matched the one on L's wrist.

I noted L's disdain expression, "This is as difficult for me as it is for you." He admitted.

Misa popped up between the two, "So this is what you meant by being together twenty-four hours a days?" She asked. Her expression grew modest as she glanced at L, "Looking at you, Misa would've never guessed. Are you on that side of the fence Ryuzaki?"

I couldn't help it when a chuckled escaped from my mouth. Light turned towards me, bewildered. At that I started to laugh.

"I-I'm sorry!" I gasped. "It's not you, I was thinking of something." Yeah, of the millions of LxLight fan girls wishing for this moment to go on forever. Oh, how rich this is!

L gave me dry glare, to which I smiled innocently, "I'm glad this amuses you." He said before turning towards Misa, "And it's as I said, I'm not doing this because I want to."

"But Light belongs to Misa!" Misa argued. "Misa doesn't want to share Light with you! If you're with Light twenty-four seven, how are we supposed to go dates together?"

"You can still go on dates, but it'll have to be the three of us." And this is one of the many moments that show L's lack of social skills.

"No way! Are you telling Misa we're gonna have to kiss in front of you and stuff?" Misa asked harshly.

"I'm not telling you to do anything." He answered nonchalantly. "But, I suppose I'll be watching…."

I sighed, "Ryuzaki, you're not making your situation any better." I told him.

Misa nodded, "Yeah!You're just so gross! You really are a pervert aren't you?" Misa accused.

L turned towards Light, "Light please make Misa stop talking." He wined.

"Listen, Misa. That's enough." Light ordered. "The police have already established that it was you who sent the tapes, so you're lucky to even be here. They have every right to keep you under surveillance."

Misa stared at him, "Huh? Light? How could you say that?" She narrowed her eyes. "In case you forgot, I'm your girlfriend! Don't you trust your own soul mate?"

Light raised his eyebrow, "What do you mean by soul mate? You're the one who said you fell in love with me at first sight, Misa." He said, shifting the blame to her. I shook my head. Didn't anyone here have any class?

Misa's eyes welled up with tears, "So why would you kiss me if didn't have any feelings for me? So you took advantage of me?" She asked. I really wanted to say yes, but that would ruin everything, so I stayed quiet. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid…" She started to hit his chest, repeatedly. Light just glanced down at her, unsure of what to do or how to feel.

I smiled, "And it was the beginning of a beautiful romance ….or not." I said, shaking my head. I glanced at L to see his lip twitching. Yay! I almost made him laugh.

"About this love at first sight." L cut in between the love-birds. "It happened on May the 22nd in Aoyama, correct?"

Misa gave him a look, "Yeah, so what?" She asked.

"Why did you go to Aoyama? Do you remember what you wore?" Talk about being subtle.

"It's like I told you. I just happened to go there. I don't know why. I don't know how I felt, and I don't know what I was wearing!" She placed her hands on her hips. "And since when do I need a reason to hang out in Aoyama, huh?"

"And somehow when you returned from Aoyama, you were in love with someone named Light?"

"Yes." Misa admitted, stalking up to get in his face. I looked towards Light to see him looking at me. I raised an eyebrow before turning back towards L and Misa.

"And you have no idea how you came to know his name?" L questioned.

"No, who cares?"

A lot of people care, you just don't know them.

"Now tell me, what if Light Yagami was Kira?"

Misa smiled,dreamily, before skipping over to Light, grabbing his arm in the process. "That would be wonderful." She sighed. "I mean I've always been grateful to Kira for punishing the man who murdered my parents," I sent L an 'I told you so' look. "So if I found out that Light was Kira, it would be like a bonus to me. If anything, it would make me love him more. Even though it's practically impossible for me to love him anymore than I already do!" She started to nuzzle his arm.

"It's Kira though. You'd love him more for that?" L asked, thoughtfully. "Wouldn't you be afraid? What if he tried to kill you?"

Misa gave him a confused look, "You're talking about Light being Kira? He wouldn't be scary at all!" I would have to disagree on that. There were moments where Light could be rather…frightening. "I'm a supporter of Kira, so if I found out my Light was actually him. I'd think of ways to be helpful."

"That's very generous of you, but I'm most certain that he doesn't need your help." L commented. "And based on what you just told me, there's no doubt that you are the 2nd Kira." He paused. "But you made it so obvious that I almost don't want to believe it."

"Whatever!" Misa responded in frustration. "It's not believable, because I'm not the 2nd Kira!" She stuck her tongue out for emphasize.

"Moving on," L continued, ignoring her childishness. "For the time being you'll be under surveillance. When you go out, if needed, you'll have to contact us using the room's extension. For the most part your life will return to normal. But for now on for all private and work related affairs, Matsuda-san will be accompanying you as your new manager, Matsui. Your agency has been paid to keep quiet and the police don't know. Don't blow his cover."

I looked at him, "But what if I have to go out?" I asked. "He's my escort, remember?"

L blinked, "I'll have Watari escort you just in case." He said simply.

Light raised an eyebrow, "Escort? What does she need an escort for?" He asked.

I looked at him, "Remember the incident that happened at the University?" I asked.

"No, what incident?"

I gaped at him and turned towards L to see him frowning, deeply. "Interesting…." He muttered.

"I wonder….." I paused. Light lost all his memories of being Kira, or anything dealing with him being Kira, correct? So, if I'm correct, Light's seemingly genuine intentions on that day were actually non-genuine.

"Ana?"

I looked up to see everyone staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

L shook his head, "Nothing." He said. "As I was saying, Matsuda will be your manager, I will have Watari escort Ana around when he's not available." He paused. "So, any questions?"

Misa nodded, "Yeah! Why does the old guy have to be my manager?"

I glanced at her, "Exactly what does she think old is?" I wondered.

"Come on! What's wrong with me Misa Misa?" Matsuda asked. "Is it the tie? Cause I can-"

"Would you cut it out with all this dating, kissing, and Misa Misa talk already!" Aizawa interrupted, slamming his fist on the coffee table. "This is the Kira investigation! Stop messing around!"

Matsuda looked down, "Sorry about that, Aizawa." He softly apologized.

"No it's alright." Aizawa said through clenched teeth. "I just figured out what the problem is. Misa Amane it's time for you to go to your room." He approached her and pointed to the door.

"Why?" She asked in surprise. Aizawa didn't answer, but instead dragged her out of the room by her collar.

"Hey Light! Let's go on a date even if it's just the three of us!" Misa called before the door closed behind her.

L immediately turned towards Light, "Light, are you serious about her?" He questioned.

"No way. Like I told you earlier, it's completely one sided" Light explained.

"Then could you at least pretend to be serious for the sake of the investigation? There are two things I know about Misa for sure. One she's involved with this, and two, she's in love with you."

Light blinked in surprise, "You want me to become intimate with her in order to gain information about the second Kira?" He asked. Honestly flowed through his words like the wind. It almost sickened me.

"Yes, I think you could do it without arousing her suspicions. Misa would definitely be a valuable source of information for us. Not to mention it's the main reason I agreed to release the two of you." Light sent L a hard look.

"Ryuzaki…as much as I want to help you and as important the Kira case is to me, I can't manipulate a woman's feelings like that." I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Please try to understand. To me, exploiting another person's feelings for personal gain is unforgivable and I won't allow myself to stoop so low."

Honestly during this scene I felt angry. But now that I've been a part of Light's little manipulation game, I felt pissed.

I closed my eyes and turned away from him, "I'm going to my room." I said.

"Alright." L responded. "But, I wish to speak to you later. Is that okay?"

I nodded and walked towards the door. I could feel Light's eyes on me as I did so too, but I didn't turn around.

* * *

OMG! Light forgot how Ana almost passed out. If he keeps that up then he won't get anywhere with her, not like L would let him…or would he? And what about Misa, what does she think of Ana? All will be revealed soon, so stay tuned!

And remember to find a character that suits Raina's looks and whatnot!


	27. Cheer Up

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself.

Special Report: Due to a brilliant idea I earlier this week, I will be canceling the contest at this point. If you have been searching for someone, and found someone, then you may still share your idea with me. I can use it in the idea that I had. And if not, then don't worry about it. Just continue on reading like you have.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

"This has got to be the lamest date I've ever been on." Misa complained.

"No, just pretend like I'm not even here." L suggested. He pressed his fork to his mouth, slightly muffling his words. "By the way, are you going to eat that cake?" He pointed his fork to the cake in front of her.

"Cake makes you fat, so I'm not going to eat any." She told him.

"Actually, I find that you don't gain weight as long as you burn the calories using your brain." He retaliated.

"Hmph! So now you're calling me stupid? Fine, Misa will give you a piece of cake if you promise to leave me and Light alone!" She bargained.

L looked at her dully. He was just about to reach for the cake anyhow when a knock came upon the door.

"Come in!" Misa called out.

The door opened slightly and Ana's head poked around the corner. Her eyes wandered the room before landing on L and Light. She quickly retreated into the hallway only to come back in seconds later holding what was apparently a cake tray. Everyone watched her curiously.

"I thought you had to go shopping, Ana." Light commented.

She glanced at him, "I'll go later, this is far more important." She responded. Then she cleared her throat, "I have here today something that will bring a new meaning to the word sweet." She grinned before pulling the cover off the tray to reveal a single piece of cake.

"Cake?" Misa started. "What-"

"Let her finish Misa." L interrupted before turning his attention to Ana. "What is so special about it?"

"Think of it as a healthy remedy for a variety of things." Ana explained. "You can be feeling a bit weak, you eat this and you'll feel a bit better. You can also be…oh I don't know….depressed, maybe?" She smiled at L on this. "Eat this and you might feel better."

L eyes never left hers and she continued to grin. Misa and Light looked between the two, wondering what was going on.

"So it's healthy cake?" Light asked. "What's in it?"

Turning away from L, "It's a secret." She answered. "It's been passed down since my great, great, grandparents came up with the idea. Now, it's in my hands."

"May I?" L questioned his eyes never tearing away from the piece of cake.

"Who else would I bring this in here for, Ryuzaki? "Ana asked him. "And it's so very obvious that I hinted that it was for you because you sir are in fact depressed."

Light looked at her, "You noticed too huh?" He said. He looked at L, "I thought you were supposed to be helping us catch Kira, but you hardly seem motivated now-a-days."

L didn't answer as he plopped a piece of cake into his mouth. As he swallowed it his eyes got a bit wider. "This is…." He whispered.

Ana grinned, "Thank you." She said, not needed to hear more. Then she frowned, "Now, why don't you tell us why you're so depressed."

He looked between her and Light, "Well…." He began. "Truthfully, all this time I thought that Light was Kira, and the entire Kira case hinged on that fact. I supposed I can't get pass the fact that my deduction was wrong." He frowned and looked at L. "But I'm still suspicious of you. That's why we're wearing these." He motioned towards the handcuffs. "Kira can control other people's actions, so in other words, Kira was controlling you to make it seem like you were Kira to me." He sighed. "If I assume that you and Misa were controlled by him, then everything we've observed makes a much more sense to me."

"If that's what you think, then Misa and I were Kira as the time we were controlled, correct?" Light asked.

L nodded, "Yes," He agreed. "I don't think I could've been wrong about that. The two of you are Kira." Light and Misa glared at L whilst Ana just shook her head. She knew exactly what was about to take place. "I don't believe it was coincidence as soon as you all were imprisoned that all the murders stopped. Until then everything pointed to you as Kira. After two weeks, criminals began dying once again. So, based on that evidence, I can only conclude that Kira's power passes between people."

"That's an interesting idea." Light commented. "And if it were true, it'd make catching Kira nearly impossible."

"That is why I'm overwhelmed. Even if we catch someone under his control, they can simply lose their powers and all their memories of their crimes. In the end pursuing them becomes futile."

"But at this point we have no way of knowing that's the case. So, cheer us Ryuzaki." Light suggested with a smile.

"Cheer up?" L questioned as if the question itself was ridiculous. "No, I'm sorry. I can't. It's probably better if I stop trying so hard." He pouted slightly. "By chasing Kira so desperately, we're just putting our lives at risk for nothing." He sighed. "Yes, it's just a waste of time."

Light stood up, shaking a little, "Ryuzaki…."

L turned towards him, "Hm?" Then he was airborne from the force behind Light's punch. He protected himself though as curled into a ball, his legs going slightly above his head. Light followed after him, the chain abruptly pulling him behind him.

They hit the wall with a crash, knocking over a nearby flowerpot. L sat up, dazed.

"You know that really hurt." He nonchalantly commented. Neither he nor Light noticed when Ana slipped out the room.

"That's enough!" Light shouted. "You don't feel like doing anything? Just because your genius deduction was wrong and I'm not Kira?"

L wiped his mouth, "Perhaps I phrased that wrong." He admitted. "I mean it would be pointless for us to make a move at the moment so we shouldn't bother."

"If we don't catch Kira then he'll never be caught! Is that what you want? If you were just going to give up, why did you involve all those innocent people?" Light seized L's collar. "More importantly, what was the point of putting Misa and me behind bars?"

"I understand." L murmured. "But still, whatever the-" His sentence was interrupted as both he and Light found themselves being sprayed with something.

"Hey! Stop it!" Light yelled before turning to look at the perpetrator. It was Ana and in her hands were two spray bottles.

"Ana, don't get involved in this." L warned her. "This is between Light and me."

He, and everyone watching them, saw her expression change to one no one knew she was capable of. "I don't like it when people fight, Ryuzaki." She explained, her hair covering her eyes. "Now if you two want to act like dogs then you'll be treated like dogs." She grinned. "Is that understood?"

Light and L looked at each other, obviously still wanting to fight.

Ana frowned, "IS that understood?" She repeated.

Light looked down, "Understood." He murmured.

L nodded, "Yes."

"Good, now I want for the both of you to follow me." She said walking over towards the door. L and Light followed behind her before she turned around. "Misa?"

"Huh?"

"Later on both Light and L will be visiting you to apologize for their childish behavior on today, is that alright?"

Misa stared at her and nodded slowly.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

-27-

* * *

After Ana led Light and L out of Misa's room she dragged them to Watari and asked for him to watch after Light so that she may speak to L. Having seen what happened, Watari obliged. Now L and Ana were atop of the hotel building.

"Why did you wish to catch Kira, L?" She questioned. "What is your opinion on Kira?"

L looked down, "Kira is an unspeakable evil being that has somehow got his hands on a weapon of mass destruction and pain. He's a murder, a monster, and a child all in one." He answered truthfully. He looked back up to see she had moved closer to him, they were nearly standing face to face.

"If you believe that then why would you give up so easily?" She asked. "You are L, you're more than just an icon….you're a hero. You take the risks necessary to get what you want because it's what you want. You don't just take cases because you find them interesting, you take them because you know that only you're capable of solving them. And this is one of those cases, and yes you may need help every now and again, but when push comes to shove…" She poked his chest. "You're the one who comes out on top. You're the one who everyone goes to. You're the top three detectives for crying out loud! Who else can say that they can do that? No one." She looked down. "We all need you for this L, Matsuda, Aizawa, Ukita, Mr. Yagami, Mogi, and the police. Even Light and Misa need you, though they won't tell you that. You are the boss, the man. You're at the top of the world, you run the shots." She smiled sadly. "So please, cheer up, if you not for yourself then for us little folk down here."

L stared at her for couple of seconds, "Do you need me, Ana?"

He watched as her eyes widened slightly then she chuckled, "Of course I do." She answered. "You're my friend so I'll always need you."

"I believe the correct words for this would be I'll try." Suddenly he found himself wrapped in a hug. Surprised, he glanced down at Ana.

"That's all we need." She murmured before letting go. "Now! Let's get back to Light. We have a mass murderer to catch!" She strolled over towards the door, not noticing the slightly more-than-normal-for-L smile on L's face. She turned back towards him, only to see his neutral expression.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked.

He nodded before they both walked away.

* * *

That was sweet of Ana to try and cheer him up. Now you see why the chapter is called "Cheer Up" right? I didn't really think the fight scene between Light and L was necessary, though it was hilarious. But I found this more necessary, and you'll see why later on.


	28. Denial

This is a relatively short chapter, but it's important nonetheless.

Now, I have a question for you all. How would you feel if I had the theme for this story switched to the Law and Order Theme Song? I like the idea of it. But, you are my viewers, so I can't make a decision without you. So, just to make things easier, just post what you want in your review. It's either Yes or No, please don't put it doesn't really matter. That's not an acceptable answer here.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I was lying on my bed. I was confused, thrilled, and saddened all at the same time. My thoughts swirled in my mind, making it a bit hard to track where I began.

"_Do you need me, Ana?"_

Sighing, I turned over on my side, "Why would he ask me that?" I wondered. "It doesn't seem like the thing he would usually ask, or better yet, care about." I've been up for the past hour or so questioning myself on his intentions. I briefly considered him "caring" for me as more than a friend, but that was a completely ridiculous idea. It's L! I mean come on, L doesn't like people in that fashion, he's a lone wolf if I had to say so myself.

But, then my thoughts led to something else. What if L was using me? What if he was just acting like he cared about me? The more I thought on that, the more saddened I became. But what did I care, right? I was going home after all this was done. At least, that's what I thought I should do.

But what do I want to do?

I don't know, I can't answer that yet. I thought I pretty determined on going home after I saved everyone, but now I'm not so sure.

However, I was thrilled. Whilst I was taking a walk, without Matsuda or Watari for once, I met up with Eri. She informed me that there was in fact a note that could help me out tremendously. It was used in the ancient Shinigami days, where everything was split into half. You had your shinigami who wanted to be like their name means, Death God. But, then you had your shinigami who thought that killing was a waste of time, that they'd rather save people's lives. So, they had a note, the Panacea Note, a note that would instantaneously make a man or woman rise from the dead.

I had a hard time believing that there was such a note. But, I went along with it. It would take a few months to get retrieve it. It was hidden in the lost realm of the shinigami world during the war between the two sides. Of course, the death gods won.

I felt like everything would come to an end soon. Though I still have yet to figure out what I want to do with Light and Misa after they're caught. I didn't want them to die, for sure, but I didn't want them to go unpunished either. Then there was Rem, the shinigami that kills L. I felt a sense of hatred towards her, only it's gotten stronger the closer we get to his death day. Speaking of which, is on his birthday. I should make him a special cake.

* * *

28

* * *

**L's POV**

"L? Why are we watching Ana in her room?"

I glanced towards Light, "No reason, just curious as to what she's doing."

"She's just been lying there for the past hour, staring off into space." He said. "She could be helping us with the case."

She's done her fair share in the case, I'm 100% positive of that. I was still curious about this Liberty character, for it seemed odd that she stopped contacting us. And it was impeccable timing on Ana's part, given the circumstances. Perhaps I was thinking into this too much. I would only be certain of her percentage if she were to slip up something that only I or someone else would know, something that nobody else could possible know.

I glanced up at the screen, Light dozing off beside me. I would never admit it, but I had another reason for watching the young woman. I didn't lie when I said I was curious as to what she was doing. And, yes, the only thing she was doing was staring into space. I was curious as to what she was thinking about. Was it about our conversation earlier? I believe she was surprised at my question, as was I. I shouldn't be worried about whether or not she needed me, for after the case everyone would scatter once again. It would be like we never met, that's how they all go.

"This is ridiculous." I thought. "The Kira case is my number one priority, catching Kira is what I need to be focused on." I held my gaze on the screen a bit longer. Ana was now curled up on her side, sleeping perhaps. At that I shut off the screen, allowing the silence to take over me.

* * *

-Scoffs-

They are so in denial! Don't you agree?

Now, remember to answer my question above if you think the Law and Order Theme Song should be this story's theme song. I await your decision.


	29. Disappointment

Hi! Guess what? I didn't have to go to school today. Yay me! I had a doctor's appointment in Durham so, hey? What are you going to do? I had to wake up at 9 and was still tired. Can you believe that? Anyways, I'm happy to see that you all think that L and Raina are in denial and I'm happy with the escalation in my review count.

Important Factor: The music used in the video I posted on YouTube for this story is the Trailer not the Intro. I was asking if you all think the Law and Order Theme would be best suited for the intro. Now if you don't think so, if you think another theme would be better, than tell me so. Because I don't want to keep the same theme from the trailer, I want to make it different.

Sad/Happy Update: The end is nearing you guys….meaning the day that we all don't want to speak of is coming upon us. But, don't be sad, for I will be posting a sequel to this story. It'll be composed of various one-shots of everyone's lives after the Kira case is over with. It won't be updated frequently, though that's only a thought for now. I will be posting my new story when this is over with. It's for the show Suite Life on Deck (I'm so into Cody/OC and Cody/London pairings right now) and it'll be called: Suite Life- Forever You. And it is a Cody/OC story! No surprise, huh?

That's all I have for right now. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

Ana was sitting on the couch, silently watching the others work before looking back down again.

"Ana, are you alright?" Matsuda questioned from across the room. He considered the woman a good friend, somewhat like a sister to him, but even so he was naturally worried about everyone.

Ana gazed up at him, "I'm fine, please, don't worry about me." She said. It almost had a rehearsed ring to it, but no one commented on it. L glanced at her. He had previously been occupying himself with his distance from the floor, but couldn't help looking at her every now and again. Ever since last week, when he was "monitoring" her, she'd been off. She still helped with the Kira case but only a few phrases came out of her mouth, none irrelevant, but stolid.

Snapping back towards reality, he saw her staring at him. No needing to hide what he was doing, he continued to stare. She tilted her head, a sign of thoughtfulness he deducted previously, before looking away.

"Ryuzaki, Ana," Light called out. "I know neither of you are feeling up to it, but come over here for a second." L rolled the chair over efficiently, not once losing balance. Inwardly sighing, Ana grudgingly moved herself over to them. Light motioned towards the monitors, "Take a close look at this, it can't be a coincidence. All of them were prominent CEO businessmen; CEO who company our leaders in their respective industries. In over a month they all just died from heart attacks."

Ana hid a smile whilst L continued to look on.

"As expected," Light continued. "there has been a general downturn in the market with the exception of Yotsuba. In other words, their deaths have worked in Yotsuba's favor. Looking back, there have been similar deaths in the last three months. Your thoughts?"

"Could be…." L considered. "But if what you're saying is true, then _this_ Kira's intentions, we can assume, is not punishing criminals."

"Right," Light agreed. "So punishing criminals is a diversion for him. It obscures the fact that he's actually killing people for the benefit of his company. Are you feeling a bit more motivated now, Ryuzaki? Ana?"

L glanced at her then back towards Light, "Yes, perhaps I am, Light." He answered with a smirk.

"Good, but I'm curious as to what Ana thinks of all this." Light commented, looking at her. "You haven't spoken in days, and to tell you the truth I'm worried."

Ana didn't answer him, but instead her gaze was on the wall opposite of them. Her eyes had widened in a bit, a speck of fear hidden in their depths. But it was quickly diminished as she finally looked at Light.

"I can't really say much right now." She answered. "Other that the fact that this Kira may have some sort of motive towards killing these men. Perhaps he or she is jealous? Maybe they are businessmen themselves. After all, it is common for businessmen to try and take out their rivals, the people who could cut them down in a matter of seconds." She shrugged. "But it's merely a thought, don't try and think too much into it."

L stared at her, "It's still worth looking into perhaps." He said turning his eyes towards Light. "We'll keep that in mind if any more evidence appears."

The silence after that was broken as the door to the hotel room opened. Everyone turned around to see Mr. Yagami and Mogi enter the room.

"Hey Chief!" Matsuda immediately greeted. "I've got some news! This is amazing! Somehow Light figured out that Kira, well _this_ Kira, is somehow involved with the Yotsuba Group. Can you believe it?"

"Yotsuba?"

"Um….yes…." Matsuda answered, confused.

Mr. Yagami nodded, "Yes, that's probably it. Good work." He complimented.

"Huh?" Everyone was looking at him in confusion, except Ana, who knew what was going to happen and L, who was just well…L.

"I just spoke to the director." Mr. Yagami began. "It seems as if Kira has bribed the politicians. So, that's it, the police gave into him."

A collective gasp ran throughout the room and Light jumped to his feet. His surprise soon faded into disgust at how quickly the police would give into Kira.

"Mogi and I have already made up our minds on this. Aizawa and Matsuda, "Mr. Yagami turned towards them. "If you wish to continue on working on the Kira case, you must hand in your resignation forms to the NPA, just as Mogi and I are going to do. Like it or not, you cannot continue pursuing Kira as a member of the police force."

"H-Hold on a second, Chief." Aizawa stuttered, shock running through his veins.

"They made it quite clear." Mr. Yagami dismissed. "If you continue to work with L, you'll be fired. That's all there is to it."

Matsuda frowned, "So then you're going to…." He trailed off, hoping he'd get the point.

"In a few hours, I will no longer be your Chief." Mr. Yagami admitted. "However, we all have our own lives. So, think over it carefully."

"That's true Chief…especially if you've got a family to support."

"If you want my opinion, you'd be better off as police officers. I was…" L paused. "Alone. Though I'm grateful to all of you for staying as long as you have, I know I can do this by myself. I'll be sure to visit at the department and bring you Kira's head as reward for all you've sacrificed."

Everyone stared at him, silently.

"Ryuzaki as long as I'm with you, you won't be working alone. You have my word on it." Light swore.

Ana looked down, then she looked back up, a true smile on her face. "L, you already know my thoughts on staying here. We've spoken on this more than once, of course." She said. "So, you have my word as well, that I won't abandon you or this case." She looked up, thoughtfully. "Think of it as a double promise."

L gave her a small smile, giving a silent thank you.

"So, I'll have Ana and Light working with me on the case until we catch Kira. So I won't be alone after all. However, as said, I would like for you all to continue as police officers." He announced.

"But when you first contacted us, you said you would need the help of the police in order to solve this case." Mr. Yagami pointed out.

"That's because the police as an organization were still hoping to arrest Kira. They were not bowing down to him." L argued. "Besides, with all due respect, there is a big difference between the help of two or three civilians and the police as an organization." As you said, the police made their position clear. They don't want to catch Kira, so let's leave it at that."

"Well I suppose what you're saying makes sense," Mr. Yagami admitted. "If we're not police officers anymore, we won't be of much use to you. However, we're all personally involved in the case. All of us have risked our lives to catch Kira…doesn't that give us the right to decide whether we stay here or rejoin the police force?"

"Good point." L pulled out the cherry stem he tied in knot out of his mouth. "Then by all means make your decision."

"But Chief wait," Aizawa interjected. "If you quit your job with the police, you'll be unemployed. What are you going to do after the case is done with?"

"After that…I haven't really thought of it." Mr. Yagami admitted. "But I suppose after we catch Kira, I'll have to dust off my old resume."

Matsuda grinned, "Count me in too!" He exclaimed. "I'm going to quit the police force and chase after Kira too! And I still have my job as Misa Misa's manager! Besides, if I'd stayed on as a police officer, I'd feel like a total loser."

Ana covered her mouth, stifling her laugh as Mr. Yagami glared at him, "Matsuda, think before you open your mouth." He reprimanded.

Everyone glanced at Aizawa, visibly shaking. He quickly turned towards L.

"Is there any way I could keep my job as and help you in my spare time?" He asked, desperately.

"There isn't. If you remain a police officer, please don't come back here." L responded, coldly.

"But you know I won't leak any information!"

L blinked, "I won't be sharing any more information. You're free to pursue Kira on your own if you want to. But I don't think it's fair to your families to burden them by giving up your livelihood just to continue this. I can't see that as a good idea." He settled.

"It's as Ryuzaki says," Mr. Yagami said. "No one here is going to blame you for your decision."

"Yeah," Matsuda added. "We all understand why you've got to do this."

"But the Chief has a family too." Aizawa argued.

Mr. Yagami placed a hand on his shoulder, "Our situations are completely different." He consoled, or at least attempted to.

"Damn it! To leave after all we've been through." Aizawa choked. "I was prepared to die to catch Kira too. What kind of person would I be now if I quit! I became a detective to catch the bad guys, not to run away!"

Behind them, a monitor flashed on showing the familiar "W" symbol.

"Ryuzaki, earlier in the investigation you specifically told me if a task force member were to lose their job under any circumstances, I should make preparations to ensure their families financial future was secure." Aizawa and I stopped breathing. "If you recall," Watari continued, "a trust was set aside for that very purpose. I'm a little curious as to why you're withholding this information."

"This is neither the time nor the place for this Watari." L said none too politely.

"…Sorry." The monitor went blank and the room was engulfed in silence.

"So we had nothing to worry about? There you go Aizawa! Isn't that great news?" Matsuda asked, oblivious to the raw anger flowing through the man's veins.

"Ryuzaki," Aizawa spat. "I assume this was a test to see how committed I was to the task force, huh?"

"It's not like that Aizawa!" Mr. Yagami tried to reason. "You know that Ryuzaki's not the type to say things directly. You should know that by now."

"Yeah, that's right!" Matsuda added.

"No," L admitted. "I was testing you. I wanted to see which one you would choose."

"Ryuzaki!"

"Fine then," Aizawa ground out. "I wasn't sure before, but I am now!"

"But Aizawa!"

"Let's face it." He exclaimed bitterly. "I wasn't able to decide right away like you guys. I was leaning towards going back to the police."

Matsuda stepped up, "Come on Aizawa," He pleaded. "Don't be so stubborn!"

"NO! I quit! I know this for sure!" Aizawa shouted. "I've always hated Ryuzaki! I've always hated his way of doing things!" And at that he spun on his heel, storming through the exit.

"That's too bad," L mumbled. "Because I-" His sentence was cut off by a hand, Ana's hand to be precise. She stared at him sharply for a moment before turning to Aizawa who had turned back around to defend himself.

Ana sighed, "You're doing the right thing, if I had to say so myself Aizawa." She admitted. "It takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing." She shifted her feet. "Honestly I kind of admire you. You don't take no for an answer, you're willing to fight when others are putting you down, you're not a coward like the rest of those jerks on the force. And even though you are leaving us, you're still better than the rest, because you came first. They stayed and they quit. You came and you fought with an iron fist." She shrugged. "Pretty impressive." She stepped up closer to him, poking him in the chest. "Now, I believe that a man should never neglect his family for business. And this right here is business. Global business on a massive scale mind you, but business nevertheless." She looked down. "Family isn't an important thing. It's…everything." She looked up. "So don't be mad at Ryuzaki. After all, you're more than what he could probably ever be."

Everyone gaped at her and L just stared on, expressionless.

"T-Thanks." Aizawa stuttered, shocked. Then he laughed, "You know, you're alright Ana." He shook her hand and she grinned.

"Thank you." She responded. Then she waved as he walked out the room, in a better mood than he was before. She stood there for a moment before turning around, staring at L in clear disappointment.

She shook her head before leaving the room too, allowing the slightly awkward silence to engulf it.

"We seem to be arguing a lot lately, don't we?" She questioned to herself, eyes downcast. "But it all be over soon."

It'll all be over soon.

* * *

L can tie a cherry stem with in his mouth? Wow, well there's something Ana might be glad to know. Hehe…

It's weird how well this is turning out. I didn't expect it to go this far. And I definitely didn't expect to write out L and Ana acting like this towards each other. I was just going to let them act like they had no thoughts of how the other may feel, you know, _acting_ ignorant towards the whole thing. But, I suppose Ana being disappoint with L, which is a first by the way, works as well.


	30. Three Wishes

Hello! I'm back again and I'm ready to give you all a new chapter. I hope you all have had a great weekend. Hey? Did it snow in anyone else's town/city?

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

Staring out into the city, Ana looked down at her forgotten guitar. She didn't have much time to play it, since she became a part of the Kira Investigation. But since the little fallout yesterday, no one's bothered her. So she had more time to do what she pleased.

Picking up the fallen instrument, she positioned herself. As she so, a slightly overwhelming sense of nostalgia hit her. She would always sing a song when she was upset or angry. It was her way of venting out, as her brother once told her.

She started to hum softly, fading into her words.

_We'd be so less fragile__  
__If we're made from metal__  
__And our hearts from iron__  
__And our minds from steel__  
__And if we built an army__  
__Full of tender bodies__  
__Could we love each other__  
__Would we stop to feel__  
__And you want three wishes: __  
__One to fly the heavens__  
__One to swim like fishes_

She began to smile, relishing in her memories.

_And then one you're saving for a rainy day__  
__If your lover ever takes her love away__  
__You say you want to know her like a lover__  
__And undo her damage, she'll be new again__  
__Soon you'll find that if you try to save her__  
__It will lose her anger__  
__You will never win__  
__And you want three wishes:__  
__You want never bitter__  
__And all delicious_

"Wow, I forgot how much fun this was." She thought.

_And then one you're saving for a rainy day__  
__If your lover ever takes her love away__  
__You want three wishes:__  
__One to fly the heavens__  
__One to swim like fishes__  
__You want never bitter__  
__And all delicious__  
__And a clean conscience__  
__And all its blisses__  
__You want one true lover with a thousand kisses__  
__You want soft and gentle and never vicious__  
__And then one you're saving for a rainy day__  
__If your lover ever takes her love away_

With a smile, she set the guitar down. She got up and she looked at herself in the mirror.

"I will be fine." She told herself. "It'll all be fine."

And with that she walked out the door.

* * *

This is a short-filler chapter, and I believe that things will be getting serious from now on. So get ready for more action stuff ;)


	31. A Change of Plans

Hello! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. I hope you enjoy it.

Update: I said that after I finish this story I would probably be posting another story for Suite Life on Deck. That still stands. But, then again, I might post something for the Disney movie Enchanted. It's a Robert/OC in the terms of Romance. It follows the story but with some twists here and there.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

Raina's POV

I was sitting in my usual seat on the couch in L's hotel room. I had almost stayed in my room for another day, but decided to be the better person and move on. And I couldn't afford to be passive for the rest of the case. We did have a lead after all.

We also had been introduced to Wedy and Aiber, a thief and a conman. Of course, everyone wasn't so content with working alongside two criminals. I didn't question it. L explained how they were more like specialist rather than convicts. Wedy was your stereotypical thief, with the leather suit, cigarette and all. And Aiber was rather nice, a little too nice if you ask me. But of course, he is a conman.

"What's wrong?" My eyes drifted towards L and Light. Light, though I was angry at for taking advantage of me in my time of need, I still had to stay on his good side. After all, even though he wasn't Kira at the moment, when he eventually becomes Kira again he will remember _everything_ from his time as innocent Light. So, I was doing all I could to be nice to him.

"What's wrong?" My eyes drifted towards L. He was facing Light, "You've been staring at me for the past two minutes. Wait, let me guess. You must be annoyed that I'm the only one eating cake at them moment, correct?" I shook my head. Trust L to come up with that kind of logic.

Light blinked, "Um, no. That's not it at all." He answered.

"Here." L stretched out his cake towards him.

Light held up a hand, "No, really. Don't worry about it."

"_Ryuzaki"_

The screen behind L powered on as a "W" popped on the screen, signifying Watari's identity.

L turned towards the computer, "Yes, what is it?"

"_Detective Eraldo Coil had just received a private request to investigate and reveal the identity of L."_

I resisted the urge to laugh. Actually, I did laugh once I found out that L was the all top 3 detectives of the world.

"Isn't Eraldo Coil supposed to be the world's second greatest detective? After L himself, correct? Who on earth would send such a request?" Mr. Yagami asked.

"_The man who sought out Coil was Masahiko Kida, head of the planning department of the Yotsuba Group's headquarters in Tokyo."_

"We know that Yotsuba must be connected with Kira." Light commented. "If they're trying to find out L's identity, it's probably because they're trying to kill him and need that information to do so."

"This isn't good." Mr. Yagami sighed. "we're already short men, now we have to worry about Coil."

"There is nothing to worry about," L started. "The detective known as Eraldo Coil is me." A collective gasp burst throughout the room. "It's quite simple really." He took a bite from his cake. "The top three detectives in the world, L, Coil, and Deanuve are all me. It's been my experience that people trying to find me usually fall for this." He plucked a strawberry off his plate. "I'll give you this strawberry if you keep it a secret." He handed the strawberry to Mogi, who placed it in his pocket. I never understood that. Why would you put a strawberry in your pocket?

"Now, whilst we are on this topic." L continued. "Ana, I would like to know how you knew beforehand that I was the top three detectives."

"_I believe that I can answer that. A month ago Miss Emerson came to me with what she proposed as a silly idea. The idea was that you were the top three detectives. She commented on how all of you worked too well together for you all to be so separate, it was as if you knew each other's every move, which is impossible without you being near each other or having some idea on who the other is. And even if you all did know each other, you would've used it to your advantage already. I didn't give her a straight answer, but she merely simplified my response in conferment of her suggestion."_

"Ah, I see." L turned to look at Ana, who had a somewhat smug expression on her face. "You've surprised me yet again."

"I'm surprised that you haven't gotten used to me surprising you." She commented.

"Well, I'm impressed with the both of you." Light commented.

"Yeah, so," Aiber interrupted. "I just have to get close to Kira right?"

"And you just want me to make sure that we're able to break security and override the surveillance cameras of Yotsuba's head office. Is that all?" Wedy asked from behind a cloud of cigar smoke. I'm so glad my lungs are fully functional and mostly smoke resistant. My granddad used to smoke so I became tolerant of it by the time he died.

"Yes," L agreed. "At this point, it's safe to assume Kira and the Yotsuba Group are connected in some way. We're going to investigate Yotsuba to determine who holds Kira's power and if there is more than one person who possesses this ability. We need a clear understanding quickly. We cannot let anyone from Yotsuba discover we're investigating them. Please realize if they do notice it means we're unable to catch Kira. Please be sure not to act impulsively out of panic or haste and don't take matters into your own hands."

"_Ryuzaki!"_

"Yes, what is it?"

"_I have just received an emergency signal from Matsuda's belt."_

I got up and walked over to the monitor. "Matsuda?" I questioned, worry tracing my voice. "Isn't he supposed to be with Misa?"

L nodded, "Yes, where is he?" He asked.

"_It seems it's coming from the head office of the Yotsuba group."_

"Disregard everything I just said." L ordered. "We'll have to rethink our strategy." Then he muttered under his breath, "Matsuda you idiot."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Then I hurriedly took out my cell, dialing quickly.

"What are you doing?" Light asked.

I gave him a look, "Calling Matsuda, now shush."

He was quiet as the phone rang.

"_Hello?"_

This was going to be fun, "Hey, Matsui." I greeted in a sweet voice. "It's me, Akira."

"_Akira! Wow, I haven't heard from you in a long time."_

Obviously he was trying not to panic at the moment.

"Are you at home?" I questioned.

"_Yeah…"_

"Are you by yourself?"

"_Yeah, I'm by myself. What's up?"_

"Nothing much, I was just wondering if we could hang out today, like old times." I responded.

"_Huh? Right now? As much I would love to, I'll have to pass."_

"What? Why?" I grinned. "Oh, let me guess, you've gotten _in trouble_ with a certain someone." I raised my voice in a teasing sort of tone.

"_Yeah! That's right! She caught me trying to go to some party without her. Now I'm in big trouble with her. Maybe I'll buy her a gift, you know?"_

I noise, "Well, good luck with that." I said. "I'll see you later then, alright?"

"_Alright, see you later."_

I hung up and pocketed my phone, "Matsuda's surrounded by the Yotsuba group, Misa is not with him and he's in danger." I quickly summarized.

"You picked the codename I suggested." L murmured.

I shook my head, "Now is not the time for that. We have to save Matsuda." I told him before looking at Light. "Light, what's the report on Misa? Were you able to reach her?"

He shook his head, "Misa's cell phone on voice mail." He informed. "I left her a message and told her to get back to me as soon as possible."

I nodded, "Alright." I looked at L. "What's the plan?"

"Well," He began. "If Matsuda dies our suspicions about the Yotsuba group would be confirmed."

I stared at him, "That's not funny."

He shrugged it off, "Let's just watch the situation for the time being." He suggested, but continued to stare at me.

"What?" I asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, I just expected you to reprimand me for my callousness and insist upon actually doing something to save Matsuda."

I pretended to tear up, "You know me so well now." I said patting his shoulder. "But, seriously, I don't want to argue with you all the time anymore. So, why not start now?"

L looked like he was about to comment when Light's phone rang.

"Misa?" Light answered, relief tracing his voice. "Misa, you're not with Matsuda at this moment are you?" He paused and pulled the phone away from his ear. "Misa just received a call from Matsuda."

"Tell her to hold the phone so that we can listen as well." L ordered.

"_Misa! Misa!"_

"_When you're done filming come over to the Yotsuba Group's main office? It's still tentative, but there's a chance you may be able to appear in Yotsuba's commercials! We're working it out right now!"_

"_What? Are you for real? You're amazing Matsu! So that's where you ran off to! Don't worry, we're wrapping up soon!"_

"_Great! It's just a short trip by taxi!"_

L pulled on Light's sleeve, "Listen to me Light. There's a chance that we may be able to save Matsuda, but we won't be able to do it without Misa's help. She'll do anything you say, won't she?"

Light nodded weakly and went through the entire plan. Nodding, Light began to speak to Misa in a hushed tone.

"I want to go too." I said catching everyone off guard.

"You will not go. I will not allow you to go off surrounding yourself with these men." L stated. "You have no clue what they'll do to you."

I raised an eyebrow, "I'll be fine, okay?' I simply said. "I'll be Matsuda's assistant. And if Yotsuba ever wants Misa to return then I'll go with her. It's very common for female celebrities to have a female assistant at times, you know?"

"I said no and that's final." L said stubbornly.

Pursing my lips I turned his chair to face me, "L," I said in a sickingly sweet voice. "I do care about the people on the force. Matsuda and everyone else included. Now, I may have made it less frustrating for Aizawa to leave but I will not stand to see a detective die today or anytime soon." I blinked. "So god help me if you don't let me go I will make your life for the next week or so a living hell." I tilted my head. "Do I make myself clear?"

He nodded slowly and wide eyed. I smiled and back off of him, "Besides," I continued walking over to the door. "Even if something does happen to us, it shouldn't matter to you right?"

There was no answer as I walked out the door.

* * *

So now Raina is questioning L's supposed feelings of true "concern" for her and everyone else. Remember, it was one of the things she listed as a possible reason for him asking her if she needed him.

How do you think L will react towards her little threat at the end? It's the result of something that will happen in an upcoming chapter, so be prepared1


	32. Rescue

Hello! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself.

I want you all to know that even though I'm not updating as much as you all, or I, want to. I still love this story, and I'll always be interested in it. After all, it's MY story why wouldn't I be interested in my own story?

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

After a long discussion, I ended up with Misa, Matsuda, eight men (one of which is Kira), and a knife courtesy of Watari. The knife was a bit overboard but it was either this or stay in the hotel room.

I looked around the room for a bit before lowering my gaze. I wanted to give them the impression that I was quiet, meticulous, brainy woman. I believe the grey business shirt and skirt helped.

I glanced towards Misa and Matsuda.

"I'm Misa Misa! Misa's only rule is that I don't do nudity, but swimsuits and lingerie are okay! It's really nice to meet you!" Misa greeted.

Everyone started mutter to themselves, looking at us strangely.

"By the way, Matsu" Misa continued. "Since Yotsuba's such a big catch, I got permission to do special reception." Matsuda looked at her, confused, before she flashed him a big okay sign.

….

Moments later an army of models were standing before us all.

"Good evening! It's very nice to meet you!" They all greeted in unison.

"Today I'll be entertaining you as our special guest, along with some girls from the agency!" Misa informed everyone.

After that I tried to stay out of everyone's way, but at the same time maintaining my meticulous character.

"Hey." I glanced to my side to see one of the men walking up towards me. Here we go…

"Hello." I greeted with a small smile.

"Don't be nervous." He reassured. "I'm not going to hurt you." He smiled. "In fact I want to stay away from everyone else myself."

I blinked, "Really? Why is that?" I questioned.

"This whole event is a waste of time, if you don't mind me saying." He said.

I nodded, "Yes, these events often are."

He glanced at me, "You don't strike me as the type to work within the modeling business." He said. "But that's just my personal opinion, so _please_ don't take offense to it." He gave me a pleading look of which I had to chuckle at.

"I'm not offended." I said. "If I did, it'd be wrong of me to say that you don't look like the type of person to work in such a place as you do."

He smiled. I smiled back before jumping a little as the door nearby was kicked open. I watched, half wearily and half amusingly as Matsuda stumbled in, apparently drunk.

"Excuse me, but I must handle this." I said.

He nodded, "I meant to ask, but what's your name?"

I blinked. I could say Akira, but he might've heard my name from when I called Matsuda earlier, "Karin Akiyama."

"Daiki Oshiro" He smiled. "It was nice talking to you, Karin."

"Likewise." I responded before walking over towards Matsuda.

"Matsui-san…." I hesitantly spoke. "What are you doing?"

"Wow! I am sooo drunk." He slurred, hanging onto my shoulders. "You're pretty." He gurgled before turning towards everyone else. "H-Hi is everyone having good time?" He stumbled over towards the balcony. "Now the moment you've all been waiting for! The Taro Matsui show!"

He pulled himself up onto the edge of the balcony, arms outstretched in his act of drunkenness. I pretended to be frightened and shocked into silence. Everyone, except Misa and the models, tried to coax him down.

"I'm fine." He reassured them. "I do this all the time." He flipped over into a headstand and I realized that I was shaking a bit. Why was I shaking? I knew what was going to happen next, how he wouldn't die but yet I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of fear creep into my heart.

But still I didn't cry, I didn't scream, as he plummeted over the edge and down into the streets below. That was all it took for the businessmen to flee the room. I wordlessly followed after them, tired.

* * *

-32-

* * *

We were back at the hotel and I was sitting down in my seat, eating my healthy cake.

"Hey Ana?" I looked up at Matsuda. "Who was that guy you were talking to? I was just wondering."

Suddenly everyone's eyes were on me. Ugh, thanks a lot Matsuda.

"Guy?" L questioned. "I believe your role was to stay quiet and keep from everyone else."

I shrugged, "Hey, it's not my fault he started talking to me." I said. "I didn't want to come off as rude and quiet you know." I took a bite of my cake. "It's just not a good combination."

"So, who was he?"

"His name was Daiki Oshiro, that's all I can actually tell you."

After that everyone turned around and continued their work except L who continued to watch me, silently. I stared right back at him until he too turned around.

I wonder what his problem is.

* * *

What is L's problem, hm? How do you feel about Daiki, should he make another appearance anytime soon? And what of Light, you ask? Well, his supposed "feelings" for Raina are all associated with his Kira persona so until he become Kira again you won't see much flirting like it was before, which was very little actually.

Yeah, and I haven't actually started on much with either future stories that I've mentioned before (Forever You- Suite Life and My White Rose- Enchanted). I've done the first chapter for Forever You but I haven't started on jack for My White Rose.


	33. Teamwork

I'm updating earlier than usual, mostly because I have to go shopping later and I figured that since you all like this story so much, you would like it if I did this kind of thing more often. Well, I can't promise you anything on the week that my sister is mostly on the computer, which is next week. But on my weeks, depending on how much homework I have to do, will depend on when I update. Now, on free days when I'm not in school, I can update faster.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**L's POV**

"_Let's begin the meeting."_

There were only seven in the room. There were only seven men in the room.

"There are supposed to be nine of them." Light said. "But only seven are present. That must mean…"

"They probably killed two of their members." I finished. My knuckles tightened over my knee as a sign of my frustrations. I looked to my side to see Ana looking closely at the monitors.

"Daiki and that other guy, Hatori I believe, aren't there." She commented.

"_In order to further the growth of the Yotsuba Group and best support its financial interests, who should be kill?"_

"See I told you!" Matsuda exclaimed.

It was disgusting I tell you, how far people were willing to go for fame and success.

"_But before we can get to that, there are several topics we need to discuss. First is the issue of Hatori's death."_

"_That was unavoidable. I'm actually relieved that Hatori's dead."_

"_As Kira has demonstrated, we must be committed to these meetings. We know what will happen if we try to leave."_

"_I think we all understand what Hatori's death means for us. Let's not take it lightly. Now, out next topic is Eraldo Coil's report."_

"Two of their members just died and that's all they're going to say?" Mr. Yagami questioned.

I glanced at him, "We are only certain of one member's death, the other member, Daiki, has yet to be brought up yet. Let's continue watching to see what'll happen."

"_So, did we really pay five million yen for this report? I mean come on! Look at this! He has no important information on L, like his name or his face. Is this Coil guy seriously gonna be of use to us?"_

"_Hold on a second. There's something in the last part of the report. Coil's warning to us is that we can't afford to take L's existence too lightly. More importantly, it says, 'The concentration of killings that are beneficial to Yotsuba will likely be noticed if they continue on Fridays and Saturdays."_

"It's like they're trying to confess to everything!" Matsuda said in awe.

"Hm," Mr. Yagami mumbled. "As long as we have this video as evidence we could probably arrest all seven of them.

Ana nodded, "We could," She agreed. "But we'll need more information before we do that."

I nodded, showing that I agreed.

"_Kira has been inflexible up until now, hasn't he? It would be nice if he would spread out his killings over the whole week."_

"_The fact that Coil noticed what we've been up to makes it more dangerous to continue killing at our usual pace. From now on we have to be even more careful and make sure that no one else notices a trend in the deaths."_

"_Now, onto the main topic. Who should we kill?"_

I frowned, the familiar feeling of disgust swallowing me.

"_I think we should focus of ELF insurance. If they expanded into the Japanese market, Yotsuba and many other companies would lose valuable clients to them."_

"_Agreed. Any objections to killing these people from ELF with accidental deaths?"_

"_No objections."_

"Is this for real? How can they do this so easily?" Light asked in disbelief and horror.

"There's no good answer for it." Ana commented. "People can be raised and taught good values but if the circumstances arise then those values can be cast off very easily. One person, or a small group, doing something reprehensible can be made to be ashamed of it by the majority and that shame keeps people in line. But if no one does anything about it, and they continue to do it, then the order collapses."

"Wow…" Matsuda breathed. "How'd you come up with that?"

She smiled, "I took a year of psychology." She said. "Really comes in handy in life."

"Well, all that aside, it's just as we suspected." Light commented. "We were right."

"No," I said at the same time Ana did. We stared at each other for a moment before expression turned amused as she turned around. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on it.

"What do you mean?" Light asked, looking between us.

Spooning some of my ice cream, "Perhaps Ana would like to explain, I do wish to know her theory on all this."

She glanced at me before turning towards Light, "We can't say that we're right, at this point time. Why? Because we can only be sure after the people they named are dead. Until then, not that I hope that it'll happen, we can only continue to monitor them on everything that do, from what they say to what they do. And, if the people they choose die, then we can conclude that Kira is involved."

I nodded, "Yes, I couldn't have said it better myself." I said as I prepared to place a few stacked sugar cubes into my mouth.

"I know." She grinned, teasingly. I tried to repress the urge to smile, which I have to admit that I haven't been so good at as of late.

"Ryuzaki!" Mr. Yagami and Light shouted, making me drop my food.

I looked between them, "What is it? There's no need to yell in unison." I commented.

"I can't carry on knowing these people will die! That's just immoral!" Light argued. "I know you're planning to catch Kira by actually letting these guys carry out these murders, but we can't let that happen."

"It's obvious that these seven men are behind the killings and with Matsuda's testimony, and the video we recorded, we have all the evidence." Mr. Yagami informed.

"You're making this difficult. If we were to take action now, everything we've done will go to waste." I argued.

He gave me a look before asking Light for the list of the Yotsuba Group members. This is why I don't work with people.

"Please hold on," I ordered. "That will raise suspicion. It would mean that the investigation has caught up with them three days after they were contacted by Aiber. Also, it would make it far more unlikely that we catch who the real Kira is. We can't afford such a setback, considering how far we've come. If we're going to catch Kira, we're going to need some solid proof."

Light opened his mouth, possible to argue, before Ana jumped and slapped her hand over his mouth. He looked at her, incredulously.

"Before you two start to fight again." She said, before adding in a low voice, "Which you really don't want to do. How about you listen to this proposal?" She looked between Light and I. Reluctantly I nodded, so did Light. She smiled before releasing his mouth, "How about if we try to delay the killings? If it happens then we can gather more proof."

Light looked at her, "That's a good idea." He admitted before looking at me. "Ryuzaki, if one of these seven men is Kira, would it be safe to say that if I tried calling of them, the odds of that person actually being Kira is going to be one in seven?"

I looked down, thoughtfully, "It's possible that there's more than on Kira among them." I responded. "A probability of two in seven at most."

"If we're prepared to let them know the investigation is catching up to them, let's place our bets on these odds. Ryuzaki, I'm going to pose as L. judging by their conversation so far, the one least likely to be Kira, but with the most influence is Namikawa."

"If you're going to make a call, please use this phone." I told him, handing it over to him. "It cannot be traced nor tapped."

Light nodded before dialing quickly. He soon began speaking with Namikawa. As he did so, I looked towards the ground then back up and noticed Ana watching me. I raised an eyebrow as she gave me a concerned looked, as if she was silently asking me what was wrong. I shook my head and she gave me a look of disbelief then a look that clearly meant she'll talk to me later.

After a while the call ended, "That went well." I commented.

"Yeah." Light agreed.

"You're really quite amazing Light." I continued. I quickly took notice of everyone's tensed postures, except Ana, which didn't surprise me. "Not only did you manage to delay the killings, but you also set up Namikawa as a potential mole for us. It sounded exactly like the sort of thing I would do, as you thought of it more quickly than I did. At this rate, if I end up dying somehow, it's quite possible you'd be capable of succeeding me."

"What? Why are you being so morbid?" Light asked. "This isn't the time for that! We only have a month to figure out Kira's identity and gather enough evidence to convict him! This is only the beginning."

"Yes," I agreed. "but you were the first one to notice the connection between Yotsuba and Kira. You actually might be more capable than I am. I honestly believe you could take this on. Tell me, if I should die, would you take over for me as L?"

"What are you talking about? As long as we're joined by these," Light raised his wrist, the handcuffs dangling from it, "we're going to die together anyway." He stopped, his face darkening.

"I see..." He muttered. "Ryuzaki, I'm sorry, but I'm going to tell everyone what you're thinking now." He looked up at everyone. "He thinks that if I am Kira there are two possibilities, Either I'm just pretending I'm not him and putting up an act, or Kira's power has passed from me to someone else and have no memory I was ever Kira in the first place. He's trying to determine which is the truth. The first theory, if I am putting on an act, he will never remove these handcuffs. Not even if I wasn't pretending to be innocent, I'm sure he still wouldn't take them off. Ryuzaki still believes I'm Kira. Even if that power had passed to someone else, he thinks I'd plan to have it return to me once I'm safe from suspicion." He sent a glare towards me.

"In other words, I wasn't being controlled at all. He thinks it was a plan, to pass off the power and arrange for it to come back once I'm cleared. Ryuzaki's theory is once I steal L's title, I'll become Kira again."

"Correct." I admitted, pleased almost.

"Taking on the title of L, having the power to control the police in every country, while being Kira in secret. It's ideal. And you're thinking that I could do it. No. That I would do it. That's what you're thinking isn't it?"

I nodded, "Yes."

He stared at me for a couple of minutes, fuming. Everyone looked between us, wondering what was going to happen next.

"But what about now? I told you, I don't want your title. That should prove, even to you, I'm not putting on an act!"

"If this is all an act, and you're trying to steal my identity, there's no chance you'd be so foolish as to reveal your plan in front of everyone. Wouldn't you agree?" I asked, staring directly at him.

"Ryuzaki," He spun my chair around, making me face him. "Do you actually believe I'm capable of being a murderer? Kira? Even after I help you catch him. Do I seem like that kind of person to you?"

"Yes you do. I've always thought so." I admitted. There was silence and we both moved simultaneously, but there was no contact. Suddenly I found myself on the floor, right next to Light. Groaning, we both looked up to see Ana standing there, glaring at us both. It was almost intimidating, really.

"I told you that you two didn't want to fight again." She said. "Next time, you'll both smell of skunk for a whole week."

Light and I looked at each other before standing up, slowly. Ana motioned over towards the others.

"Now, apologize for your childish behavior." She said, or more like commanded. I was beginning to suspect she enjoyed these moments of charge.

"Well?" She questioned.

I sighed, "I'm sorry for my behavior, it was in fact childish. I should be focusing on the case, not on petty arguments."

Light nodded, "Yeah, I'm sorry too."

Ana looked between the two of us, fixing us with a "You'd better be" kind of look.

Then she smiled, "Great! No more fighting then." She said. "Now, I have to leave. I have to pick up some books at the store." She looked at me. "I need to talk to you later."

I nodded before watching as she left.

"Has anyone noticed that Ana can be quite terrifying when angry?"

"Shut up Matsuda."

* * *

Ha! Poor Matsuda, they're so mean to you. And, as for Ana's terrifying behavior, it's all connected with something that will be coming up in the next chapter. So, you'd better grab a box of tissues because it's about to get even more serious than before.


	34. The News

Hello! Welcome to the next chapter of Expressing Yourself. I hope you enjoy it, and it hope you got your box of tissues 'cause your about to cry…unless you don't then don't mind me :)

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

Misa entered the hotel room, immediately heading over to Light. Invading his personal space, she sat in his lap.

"Hey." He protested. She ignored him.

"How was the meeting?" L asked, turning towards them.

"Yotsuba agreed to hire Misa as their new spokesperson." Mogi responded.

"That's good to hear. Anything else?"

"And I made sure to give them my phone number!" Misa revealed. "Would you believe that three of the seven guys (minus Daiki and Hatori) already asked me out?"

"What!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"So now I accept their invitations and investigate them right?" She asked, excitedly.

"No." Light said immediately. "This plan is getting canceled right now."

"Huh? But why? Everything's being going smoothly until now!"

"If we go any further, you'll be in danger."

"You can still appear in their commercials." L spoke. "But, from now you should deny you were accused of being the second Kira and detained by L. Mogi will continue to be your bodyguard, but you'll be working solely as a celebrity."

Misa glanced at Light, hopefully, but he shook his head.

She sighed, "Well, if that's what you want Light." She said before standing up. She walked over towards the door, intent on going back to her room. "Anyways, I'm feeling pretty tired. Tomorrow's shoot is bright and early, so I better get some sleep." She paused in the doorway, sticking her head back in. "Hey Light…" She grinned mischievously. "Wanna come sleep with me tonight?"

Light looked at her, wide eyed, "What are you talking about?"

"Just kidding! You're waiting until after we catch Kira, right? You don't have to be shy about it!" She called back before leaving to her room.

"Yes Light." L said drearily. "There's no need to be shy."

"I'm not being s-"

Suddenly a phone began ringing, cutting off his sentence. Being the nearest to it, L picked it up. He glanced at the I.D dully.

"What is it Matsuda?"

His eyes widened considerable before he covered them with his hair, hiding his expression. "Ah, I see." He said in a low voice. "We will meet you there." He hung up and there was silence in the air for a couple of minutes.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" Light asked. He knew something was up because for the second time L was showing signs of being visibly shaken. He was literally shaking.

"It's Ana…" He finally said. "She's in the hospital."

Everyone gasped before an unnerving silence took hold of the room.

"She's in the hospital?" Light repeated. "What for? What happened?"

"Did Kira get to her?" Mr. Yagami asked.

L looked at him with a blank expression, "I'm not so sure. Matsuda was rambling so fast that I could hardly catch a word." He explained before standing up. "But we'll find out once we get to the hospital." He walked over to the door and everyone slowly followed after him.

"Wait, one of you should stay." He said. "To watch after Misa and in case we need to call."

"I'll stay." Mogi said. He needed the rest anyways.

"Alright," L nodded. "As for the rest of you, let's get moving." No one could tell, but he was very anxious, and a bit worried about what awaited for them at the hospital. The thought of seeing her body, in a hospital bed, unmoving unsettled him.

* * *

OMG! Raina's in the hospital! I wonder what happened. Anyways, you might've not cried in this chapter but I'm sure that the next will be the lucky one…or the next one after that. I plan on having three chapters set aside for this whole situation. Mostly because it's the beginning of something new in the gang's life ;)


	35. Emotional

Hello!

Important Notice: Yay! I have 153 reviews, which beats my other Death Note story (Amelia's Story) by more than 20, I believe.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

The task force, excluding Mogi, was at the hospital in no time. When they arrived they had a little difficulty getting them to take them to her since no one knew much about her past. But, with some persuading from Light they got somewhere. Now, a nurse was leading them down the hallway. Everyone's expressions varied from concerned to fright. No one could see L's expression though, as he kept his head low the entire time.

When they got to the room, the nurse left them to their business. Light stepped up to the door before slowly opening it. Inside the dimly lit room was Matsuda, pacing back and forwards across the floor. He immediately looked up at them.

"Finally, you're here!" He exclaimed.

"Matsuda!" Mr. Yagami scolded. "This is a hospital, keep your voice down."

Matsuda gave him a sheepish smile, "Sorry." He apologized. Then he straightened up, "I received some news before you arrived." He walked over to the hospital bed, where Ana was lying, apparently sleeping. An oxygen face mask was covering a part of her face.

"What did they tell you?" L asked, finally looking up. His eyes didn't leave the bed, his expression unreadable.

He looked down, "When she…" He visible shuddered. "When she had the attack, she passed out. I thought she would wake up in a few hours, just like Mr. Yagami, but she didn't" He looked at her. "She's going to be sleeping for a little while longer."

"She's in a coma?" Light asked.

Matsuda nodded, solemnly.

There was a moment of silence in the room. No one spoke for a while until a doctor came into the room. He took a quick glance at all the men in the room before moving on.

"I'm assuming that none of you are related to Ms. Emerson here." He commented, writing something down. "Do any of you know where we could reach a family member?"

No one answered and he sighed, murmuring something under his breath. "Okay, who does she trust the most in this room?" He asked. "This is the last thing I'm supposed to do, but since we can't contact her family and none of you know where they are, or who they are, then I'll have to do this. So, who is it? Who does she trust the most?"

Everyone looked at each other, unsure.

"That would be him." Matsuda finally spoke as he pointed a finger at L. Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Don't be so absurd, Matsui." L spoke, throwing the idea away.

Watari, who'd been silent up till now, stepped up. "If I may add my input," He began. "But I do believe that he's correct. You're the only one she's really had any interaction with after all."

Everyone looked at L as he looked at the wall, thoughtfully. "Alright." He finally said. "What do you need for me to do?"

"Just come with me." The doctor said. "We have some information we think you need to know."

After that he and L left the room, leaving everyone else in the room.

"Ryuzaki seems more put down than normally." Light commented. "I thought he would've put on a front like he always does."

Watari smiled but didn't say a word.

* * *

-35-

**L's POV**

* * *

I couldn't help but think as I took in what the doctor was telling me. My mind began to unravel as I placed pieces of the puzzle that is Ana in their correct spots. I understood the true reason for why she almost passed out at the university, and her reaction to Misa's treatment when she was under surveillance. It was more than what she revealed, but yet I still don't have the full story.

I would need to speak to her once she awakens.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I questioned that. When she awakens? No, _if_ she awakens.

It was confusing. It was as if I was cut into three pieces of cake. The top layer was common, something everyone has had a taste of. The bottom layer was a bit bitter, with a nasty aftertaste. And the middle layer was different, it made you question whether to try it or not.

"Hey!" I felt myself being shaken. I looked up to see the doctor staring at me, probably unsure of if he should let me be or ask what's wrong.

"Are you finished?" I questioned.

He nodded and I stood up before turning around, intent on heading back to Ana's room.

….

Once I arrived there, I saw that everyone was surrounding her bed. I walked over, once closing the door, and stared at her. She was a bit pale is all that I saw. She still had a smile on her face, which was surprising, and you could obviously see her breathing.

"I think someone should stay here with her." Light suggested, looking up. His eyes and face showed signs weariness, "We still need to work on the Kira investigation, but someone needs to look after Ana." He looked down at her. "She would want us to continue on."

I felt the urge to tell him that she wasn't dead, like he made it seem. But I stayed quiet. I glanced out the corner of my eye to see Watari smiling at me. For what? I couldn't figure it out.

"I'll stay."

* * *

-35-

* * *

**Author's POV**

"I'll stay"

Everyone looked at L, shocked.

"What?" Light repeated, wide-eyed. "I thought you would suggest Matsuda." He paused. "…why do you want to stay?"

L looked at him, and he really _looked_ at him, "I believe that's my reason and my reason only." He said. "There will be no arguments on my decision." He looked over at Watari. "Watari, when you all leave, would you please bring a couple of my belongings. I'll been needing some essentials, a few shirts and pants are fine, as well as my laptop." He looked at the others. "I will be contacting you daily on your findings."

"Okay…"

"Alright."

Light stared at him, silently, before he sighed. "Fine, but I want constant updates on how Ana's doing." He said.

"I suspected you would."

* * *

Okay, there you have it! Your chapter for the day!

If you all want to know what L meant when he was talking about the cake, then here's the explanation:

The top layer was common, something everyone has had a taste of. – He's talking about his normal attitude towards everything. He's stuck between pushing everything away, acting like nothing's wrong with him and the other choices. If he ever chose this, it would more than likely be permanent.

The bottom layer was a bit bitter, with a nasty aftertaste. – He's talking about anger here. He wants to be angry, to just step out of his boundaries and scream. This is due to his frustrations about how it happened, who did it, and why he even cares to begin with. So, he's a bit angry with himself in this one. This is just a spur of the moment thing, if he ever chose this it wouldn't be a permanent thing.

And the middle layer was different, it made you question whether to try it or not. –Ah, now this is something you'll have to figure out on your own ;)

(Spoilers!) This is borderlining between temporary and permanent. It depends on what happens.


	36. Dreaming of Death

Hello! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself.

Yeah, I know. It's been a few days since I've updated. But, I did warn you all that during my sister's week that I wouldn't have that much time to update any stories, unless I started on them the week before. Then, there could be some arrangements.

Important Notice: If you want to see the soundtrack videos for chapters 34-35, then check out my profile. If you want to see the video for this chapter then it is also there.

Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of the chapter.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

I felt paralyzed. It was almost like something had possessed me. For a while I squirmed a bit until I could feel my arms. Then I worked on my legs. Finally, I opened my eyes to meet an endless pit of red darkness. If I stared long enough it would probably swallow me.

I shivered as a cool gust of wind swept by me. I slowly sat up, checking out my surroundings. I was still in Tokyo as far as I could see. The streets were deserted, I noticed. It was a surprising revelation as Tokyo was never deserted, day or night. You could always see people moving about.

I stood up and my vision blurred for a moment. It was then I felt a sort of aching feeling in my chest. I stood still to get myself together before setting forwards. As I walked around, I began to notice the true emptiness of the city. Seriously, there was **no one** around. Cars, bikes, and shops all around were deserted.

I shivered, not from the cold, but from the eeriness of it all. I felt like I was in a scary movie.

"Hello!" I called out. Though everything looked empty, that didn't mean it was empty.

I continued to walk in silence, hearing no response. "Hello? Is anyone out there?" I called again.

And again, no one answered.

I didn't call out again, knowing it was useless to even try. Instead I continued to walk around, to see if maybe someone like me was walking around aimlessly.

After a few minutes I was about to give up on finding someone when I turned the corner and froze. I opened my mouth but nothing came out but a few tiny squeaks. A sudden rush of nausea came over me as I stumbled forwards, grabbing onto the nearest thing. As I did, my eyes scanned over the scene in front of me.

Bodies were strewn out in every direction. On the ground, in the windows, inside the cars, and atop of lampposts were bodies. Slowly I picked myself up off the ground and walked around the area. I was careful not to step on anyone.

"How did this happen?" I wondered. There was no bloodshed, so death by pointy objects was out of the question.

I turned around. This time I screamed.

"Oh my god…." I breathed. I ran forwards, not really caring if I stepped on someone or not.

I immediately kneeled on the ground. Strewn on the ground was every member of the taskforce, including Aizawa. How I missed them I have no clue. Matsuda, Mr. Yagami, Ukita, and Mogi were all there as well.

But wait, where was L, Light, and Misa?

I felt a cold rush of wind surround me and I turned around to see a figure standing not too far from me. I didn't say anything as they stood there. Then they began to come towards me.

I ran.

It was stupid of me to do, but can you blame me? All of the people I've come to care about in this world are dead! And I don't even know where L is!

"I hope this is all a dream." I muttered, shaking my head. I looked back, to see if the figure was following me when I found myself on the ground. Groaning, from the pain, I looked up to see Light himself staring down at me.

"Ana…" He breathed. "You're alive."

I stared at him, somewhat relieved and somewhat confused, "What do you mean?" I asked. "Of course I'm alive."

He continued to stare at me, "I thought you were dead. We all did." He gulped, giving a small smile. "We continued to find Kira, but Kira found us first. It started with miniscule attacks, just like before. Then…" He looked up. "They got even more ferocious."

I stared at him, blankly, "Where's L?" I asked.

He looked down at me. I shivered a bit from the look in his eyes, "He's at the hotel."

"I thought he would've fled to another country or something by now." I commented, standing up. "Come on, let's go see him." I moved forwards but Light stopped me. I narrowed my eyes at him, "What are you doing? Let's go see him. I'm sure he'll be glad to see us alive."

Light shook his head, "No, you don't understand." He said. "L was the first to go when Kira started attacking." He looked away. "We thought we were next but he saved us for last."

"Why aren't you dead?'

"I don't know." He responded. "I thought I would've died as well, but I didn't."

I nodded, beginning to connect the dots, "Where's Misa?" I continued to push.

"Gone, she fled after the attacks started." He explained. "I haven't heard from her since. And I think she changed her phone number."

"Oh, I'm sorry." I consoled, patting his shoulder.

He smiled sadly, "It's alright." He reassured. "I'm just glad that I found you alive."

"Yeah, I'm glad you're alive too."

He smiled, genuinely. "Thank you." He said. "I think we should go, it's not safe being out here at this time of the night." He stared to walk forwards but I stood still.

He looked backwards, "Aren't you coming?" He asked.

I shook my head, "No, I'm going to check out the hotel." I said. "I've already seen the others…" I looked down. "Now I want to see L."

He blinked, "Well I'm going to go with you." He said. "I wouldn't want anything to happen."

I rolled my eyes before moving forwards and Light followed after me.

* * *

-36-

* * *

After about ten minutes we finally reached the hotel. I looked up at the building. Almost all the windows were either broken or completely gone.

I turned towards Light, "So, where is he?" I asked.

Light pointed at the doors, "In the lobby." He said. "But I warn you, you won't like what you see."

Ignoring him, I walked forwards in silence. As I got closer to the double doors, I felt a bit unsettled. What would I find in there? I didn't know, but whatever it was, Light better hope I don't attack him for it. It was already bad enough to see the entire taskforce, including Aizawa, dead. But I don't know how I'd feel if I saw L dead.

Gulping, I stepped through the doors and into the lobby. The entire room was deserted and torn apart. The walls had holes in them, the wallpaper was ripped to shreds, and the couches/decorations were a mess.

Suddenly I felt the urge to look up. I did and I gasped at the sight. There L was, nailed to the ceiling by his hands and feet, almost in the same fashion as Jesus on the Cross. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see the words scrawled around him.

"This….is…a…warning….to all who defy me….you too shall be punished as he."

I don't know how long I stood there, staring at my dead friend, but I found myself heading back outside when I came to. Light was nowhere to be found.

"He's lucky I didn't catch him before he ran off." I muttered. "Just wait until I…"

I gasped, clutching my chest. Pain was all I could hear, see, and feel.

Darkness.

* * *

-36-

* * *

I opened my eyes to see a bright light.

"Oh my god, I'm dead!" Was what I immediately thought.

"You're not dead." Came a voice. I turned around to see Eri standing there. A smiled came to my face.

"Eri! I'm so glad to see you!" I said. "You wouldn't believe what just happened."

She looked down at me, "I believe I would, because I saw it for myself." She said. "What you just went through was your Nightmare World."

"Nightmare world?" I repeated. "What's that?"

"There's a nightmare for everyone, usually they're divided, but the nightmare realm where all the nightmares for every human is located combines them into one Nightmare: The Nightmare World." She explained. "It's a place where all of your Nightmares come to life."

"Okay, so what does that have to do with what I just went through?" I said. "All I saw was death…and Light."

"You are afraid of the ones you care for dying." She explained.

"That makes sense."

"You are also afraid of the one you hold your affections to dying."

I froze and stared at her, "The one whom I hold my affections to?" I repeated. "And who would that be, huh?" I grimaced. "I hope it's not Light…"

"It is not."

"Then who is it?"

"You know, but you just won't say."

I bit my lip and turned away for a moment, "It cannot be…could it?" I questioned myself. "I couldn't have fallen for him, right?" I laughed. "That's completely ridiculous."

It was ridiculous right?

"You push away the thought because you're afraid of being hurt." Eri commented.

"I am not!" I exclaimed. "I am not afraid of being hurt. Do you know why? Because I. Don't. Care."

"You don't care for what, Ana?" I jumped and hid behind Eri. L, who just appeared out of nowhere, stared at me blankly.

"That's none of your business." I retorted harshly.

He raised an eyebrow as I looked down, "Sorry…" I muttered.

"I'll accept your apology once you explain what's wrong with you." He pointed a fork in my face. "You seem to be crying."

I reached up, feeling the tears running down my face. My eyes widened and I backed up even more, "I don't know why I'm doing that." I said.

"The three main reasons for tears are associated with three emotions: Sadness, Anger, and Happiness." L tilted his head. "Are you sad, Ana?"

I shook my head. I didn't feel any sorrow. In fact I felt the exact opposite.

"Are you angry?"

I shook my head again.

"Then you must be happy." He reasoned. "Tell me, what are you so happy about?"

All of a sudden I found myself tackling him to the ground. "I thought you all were dead!" I shouted, burying my face into his shirt. "The taskforce was lying on the ground and y-you were nailed to the ceiling and…"

"Ah, this nightmare of yours must be a result of your incident." L said.

I looked up at him and he down at me, "What?" I asked. "What incident?"

He smiled, uncharacteristically, "Wake up and you'll find out."

"Are you playing games with me?"

"Wake up and you'll find out."

"L! Stop playing. This isn't funny."

"Wake up and you'll find out."

"That's not even a correct answer."

"Wake up and you'll find out."

At this point I felt myself drifting off.

"Wake up and you'll find out."

"Wake up and you'll find out."

"_Wake up and you'll find out…"_

I slumped forwards, out cold.

Wake up and you'll find out…

* * *

Wouldn't that be annoying to hear over and over again, especially when it doesn't correspond with your responses? Anyways, -in a sing song voice- looks like Raina might like a certain person. Well, as you heard Eri say, it's not Light! Thank the heavens. And that only leaves two more choices! L and Mr. Yagami….sike! It's either L or Matsuda. Who do you think it is? And don't say L just because this is an L/OC story.


	37. Awakening

Hello and welcome to the next and the last chapter of the three chapters that I promised you to cover Raina's time in the hospital.

I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

The large glowing spear slowly rose up into the dull morning sky. L, who was sitting near Ana's bedside, looked up at the sunbeams creeping through the window. Today would mark the 6th day since Ana's heart attack. The days went by slowly, and not much progress in the Kira case has been made. It was almost like the world could feel the pain everyone felt at her tragedy.

L glanced over Ana. In the past few days her color returned, which was a good sign. The doctors said that she might be awakening soon, but they couldn't pin point the exact date.

He heard footsteps behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"L, I believe it's time we've had a talk." Watari said.

L eyes glanced at him lazily, "What is it you wish to discuss?"

"You." L raised an eyebrow. "I haven't seen you this concerned for someone in ages." He was talking about his previous successors "A" and "B". "Miss Emerson has made quite the impression on everyone."

L sighed, "Watari, what do you wish to know? We both know you did not start this conversation just to make pointless comments."

Watari smiled, "Alright, if that's what you want." He retorted. "What do you feel for Ms. Emerson? As I've said before she's made quite the impression on everyone, including you, I can tell."

L remained quiet for a good five minutes before he answered. "I do not know what you mean." He responded.

"If that's what you believe."

L looked at him, sharply, "I do not wish to speak upon this matter. Please do not bring it up again." He turned back around and Watari continued to smile before leaving the room. Once he was gone, L turned his gaze towards the floor.

"Interesting," He muttered. "even when you're not awake you seem to be able to create some sort of conflict."

"Well, "A cough. "That's not…a…nice thing to say."

His eyes slowly lifted and met another pair. His gaze was unbreakable.

"Are…you okay?"

He nodded, "Ah, yes…I believe I am." He answered, a bit breathily. "You're awake."

Ana looked up at the ceiling, "What happened?" She asked. "And tell me everything."

"I believe that would be better to speak to Matsuda about the incident. After all, he's the one who was with you when it began."

She nodded, "Oh." She looked at him. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the hotel?"

"Everyone thought it would be of best interest if I stay. I was out numbered." He replied.

She let her gaze stand on his for a moment, "I see." She coughed. "So, how long was I out?"

"Today would be the sixth day."

"Six days…well that's not too bad."

"Why do you say that?"

She turned her gaze, "No reason. I've heard of people who had to deal with full years." She answered. "I suppose I'm lucky…in a way." She looked at him. "Aren't you going to call the others? Inform them that I'm awake."

"Ah, yes." L stood up. "Give me a moment." He walked out of the room, her eyes followed all the way.

* * *

-37-

* * *

**L's POV**

Once I stepped outside, I took a deep breath. I wouldn't say this out loud, but I was relieved that she was awake. When my successor's A and B died, it was a little bit too much. I haven't felt like this in a while, so it was overwhelming of course. I wasn't entirely sure how to feel.

I should call the taskforce.

* * *

-37-

* * *

**Author's POV**

Ten minutes later…

Ana, who was still hospitalized, looked up at all the people surrounding her bed. Matsuda, who was crying, Mogi, who was smiling for once, Mr. Yagami, who looked understanding, Ukita, who just stood there, and Light who was the closest to her. L, who'd been quiet the whole time, stood on the opposite wall with Watari.

"I'm so happy that you're awake, Ana!" Matsuda exclaimed. Mr. Yagami opened his mouth to reprimand him, but decided against it, knowing how he was feeling. "I was so frightened when you…." He started to cry again. Ana smiled at him before patting is arm weakly, it would take some time to get her strength back.

"I'm glad I'm awake too, Matsuda." She said.

"Seriously though," Light said, smiling softly. "It's great to have to back with us. We've really missed you, Ana."

She stared at him for a moment before smiling, "Thanks Light, that means a lot."

Light nodded before turning to look at L, "Hey L! Why don't you come over here?" He asked. "You might've seen her all week but you haven't spoken to her much I'm sure. Come on!"

L shook his head, "I'm fine." He said. "You all may continue to talk." He lowered his gaze again. Everyone looked at him, questioningly. Then they turned towards Ana to see her gaze lowered as well.

"Does anyone else feel depressed?"

"Matsuda, aren't you supposed to be crying?"

* * *

-37-

* * *

An hour later, after saying their goodbyes, everyone left to either go home or back to the hotel. Watari and L stayed behind.

"I will be back momentarily." Watari announced before leaving the room. He wanted to leave the two alone to talk things out. He knew his protégée was saddened by the tragedy that befell Ana and he could tell the girl was upset by the way he was acting towards her now. They needed to work things out.

…

Ana looked down at her hands and L continued to stand by the door, waiting for Watari's return.

"L…." She started. "Could you hand me my robe?"

L looked at her, briefly, before shuffling over to her bedside to where her robe was lying. He picked it up and put it in her hands before turning around, to give her some privacy. He heard the bed squeak for a moment.

"You shouldn't be moving, I believe that was the doctor's orders." He reminded her.

She laughed, "Why do you care what I do?" She asked. "You've been quiet the since I woke up. You won't talk to me, or look directly at me." She shuffled over towards him, stumbling a bit. "Look, I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry okay?" Her voice cracked a little and he slowly turned towards her. Her eyes were glistening with sorrow and for once in his life he felt what he's never felt before: guilty.

Yet he still remained quiet. He didn't know what to say or what to do.

Ana held her gaze on his before she started to move forwards. He could tell it was uncomfortable, giving her small grimaces.

Slowly, and hesitantly, she pulled him into a hug. "If you can't say it, then I suppose you'll have to act it out, hm?" She quietly said. L, never being the one accustomed to hugs, decided to go against the odds and slowly, but tensely, hug her back.

"I thought you were dead…." She whispered. "It was a nightmare. Everyone and everything was dead. Kira was the only one to remain standing."

"That might've been caused by your incident." L explained. "It's common to receive strange dreams after such events."

She pulled away from him, "You're really bad at comforting people." She said before turning around, crawling back into the bed. "Man this hurts…"

"I do believe I told you not to get out of bed."

She shrugged, "Yeah, but it was worth it." She said, letting out a yawn. "I'm tired…." She stared at him, a smile on her face. "Thank you, L." That was all she said before drifting off to sleep. L watched her, silently, before turning around. Watari was standing there, a smile on his face. L shifted past him, not bothering to comment.

And that was that.

* * *

Yay! Raina's awake! Oh, I wonder how she'll react to Misa or Rem even….hm…it'll be interesting to write. I'm not sure whether to make her afraid of them or resentful towards them. Eh, it'll come to me later I suppose.


	38. Personal Questions

Hi Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. I hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

Light and L were in Misa's room when the door suddenly opened and Matsuda came in, "Hey! Guess whose back?" He asked.

L blinked, uninterested, "Matsuda, we're in the middle of something, so would you please not interrupt us?" He said. "Now, what do you want?"

Matsuda pouted, "I was just going to tell you all that Ana was back from the hospital. They let her leave today." He paused. "But she's not in the best of moods."

"Well of course, she just had a heart attack."

Matsuda shook his head, "That's not the reason why." He said. "She's in the common room if you want to see her." He then closed the door, leaving them to their business.

Light looked at L, "I think we should go see her." He said. "It's been a while since we've seen her, since they wouldn't let us visit anymore." The doctor's had to run some more tests to see if any damage had been done to her, and so no one could come and visit her while they were doing that. "I mean, if that's okay with you."

L looked down in thought, "Maybe a break would be a good path for right now." He said. "Alright, let's go." He looked at Misa. "Misa, you're welcome to follow if you wish. If not, then I'll need for you to stay here."

Misa jumped up, "I'll go! I haven't seen Ana in a while either." She said before following them out the door. She looked at Aiber, "Don't touch any of my stuff!"

* * *

-38-

* * *

It took a few minutes for L, Misa, and Light to reach the common room, but when they did they were a little surprised. Ana's back was towards them, so she turned around. She grinned.

"Hey!" She waved. "It's been a while since I've seen you all."

L, Light, and Misa continued to stand there, staring at her.

Ana frowned, "Go on, I know you want to say it." She said.

Light opened his mouth, but Misa beat him to it, "Why are you in a wheelchair?" She asked.

"Misa!" Light reprimanded. "There's no need to be so blunt."

Ana looked at him, "It's alright, Light." She reassured. "And, as for why I'm in this wheelchair…um...well, I can't really walk at this moment." She shifted slightly, uncomfortably. "Well, I can walk. But, I can't walk like normally."

"Is this a permanent thing?" Light asked.

She shook her head, "No." She answered. "The doctors said it'll take approximately 4-9 weeks for my legs to heal." She sighed. "So until then I'm confined to this blasted chair."

"How are you going to take showers?" Misa asked. "How are you going to put on your clothes?"

Everyone stared at her.

She looked around, "What?"

Light placed a hand on her shoulder, "Misa, why don't you go back to your room?" He suggested. "Make sure that Aiber didn't take any of your stuff."

Misa looked at him, "But…" He gave her a look and she pouted. "Fine!" She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Ana shook her head, "You might want to go talk to her." She said.

Light sighed, "Yeah…."

L looked between the two, "Ana, may I speak to you later?" He asked.

She tilted her head, "You're actually asking me?" She said, smiling teasingly. "But sure, you can talk to me." L nodded.

Matsuda stood up, "Are you ready?" He asked.

She looked at him, "Yeah, let's go." She said as he came up behind the chair. "The only good thing about being in a wheelchair is having someone push you around." Matsuda began to push her out the door, "I'll be back later!"

The door closed and Light looked at L, "Well, I guess she's not in a bad mood after all." He said before walking over to the computers. L stared at the door for a moment before following after him.

* * *

-37-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I was sitting on my bed, letting myself relax before a knock came upon my door.

Groaning, I sat up, "Who is it?" I called out.

"I wish to have that talk now." L responded from the other side.

I was quiet for a moment, "Come in!" The door opened and he stepped inside, letting it close behind him. He stared at the wheelchair for a moment before walking over to me.

"I hope you're not going to tell me that by me being in a wheelchair that I'm of no use to the team anymore." I immediately said.

He blinked, "You seem to have a habit of assuming the worst about our conversations." He commented. "I merely came to discuss something that…" He paused, seemingly thoughtful. "Ah, never mind about that." I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he wanted to say. "The other thing I wished to speak to you about would be what the doctor revealed to me at the hospital."

My eyes widened, "What!?" I would stand up, outraged, but I couldn't so remained seated.

"He informed me of your medical history." He responded. "I did not know that…." I covered his mouth.

"L, if you care about me in any way, no matter how small that percentage may be, you must never EVER bring that up." I interrupted. "Do you understand that?"

He stared at me with his owlish eyes, weirdly enough I found them not so odd.

Slowly, he nodded and removed my hand and sat back. "So, is that all?" I asked.

Again he nodded before standing up, "Yes, that's all I wished to discuss." He walked over to the door.

"L…." I called out. He stopped and turned to look at me.

"Yes?"

"May I ask you a few questions?"

"I believe you just did."

I rolled my eyes, "Very funny, but seriously can I ask you a few questions?"

He fully turned to face me, "Yes?"

I took a breath, "If…If you had someone, someone you _cared_ for, would you do anything for them?" I asked.

There was silence for a moment and I silently wondered how he would answer. It would probably be a no.

"Yes…" He finally answered, much to my surprise. "I believe I would."

I nodded, "Okay, now if you had to choose between this person and other people with whom you cared for, who would you choose?"

This time he stared at me for a few minutes. I shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't believe I can answer that question."

I tilted my head, "Why not?"

"If I gave you my answer, it would not provide the satisfaction that you need." He simply said before leaving the room. I stared after him, wide eyed.

He was good.

* * *

There's not much in this, but there's important stuff in it.

Contest: If you can decipher why Raina wouldn't get any satisfaction from L's answer to her question, then I'll give you a virtual cookie. If you can decipher what she really meant when she asked her questions then I'll give you a full chocolate virtual cake…if L doesn't eat it first.


	39. Strike

Important Notice: Sorry if things seem out of order in the next few chapters. With Raina being in the hospital, and me using that time to focus on her, then there wasn't much time to focus on what was happening at headquarters. Let's say that the only thing to happen was Misa getting her memories as the second Kira back and Misa figuring out that Higuchi is Kira.

The whole situation will be explained to Raina, since the rest of the team already knows about it. Then comes the plan and we'll go on from there.

Also, if you wish to see the song I picked for the intro to this story, then it's located in my profile. Check it out!

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I was just rolling into the common room when my name was called.

"Ana, could you come here for a moment?" L called out.

I raised an eyebrow before rolling over towards him, "Yes?" I asked.

He looked at me, "Due to recent events you were unable to receive any information regarding the current status of the Kira Investigation." He said. "That being said, I will give you the information you need."

I nodded, "Okay, go on."

He started to go on about what went on with Misa and Mogi's trip back to Yotsuba. When he got to the end, even though I wasn't surprised, I acted as if I were.

"Misa found out who the second Kira is?" I asked. "_Misa?_ As in the model living a floor above us?"

He nodded, "That is correct, and you are not the only one who was surprised to say the least." He commented.

I remained quiet for a moment, thoughtful, "So, what's the plan now?" I asked. "I mean, you do have a plan right?"

"Right."

* * *

-39-

* * *

L and I, with everyone else surrounding us were sitting near L's computer. Normally I would freak out a little having everyone surrounding me like this, but I had bigger fears on my mind. One of which had to deal with the person sitting next to me.

I glanced at him as he started to speak, "Wedy?" He called out.

"_Yes?"_

"I would like an update on the current situation please." He requested into the microphone.

"_Everything's going smoothly. We should be able to track seventy percent of their movements with our cameras inside the office building."_

"What about outside of the office?"

"_That's not going to be possible with just Watari and I."_

"What if you just focus on Higuchi?"

"_Higuchi? I've only been able to enter the houses of six of the men so far, but Mido, Namikawa, and Higuchi have super high tech security systems. Especially Higuchi. He recently constructed a dampening room that cancels out any electronic waves. It took me three days just to break into the place."_

"Then begin placing microphones, trackers, and cameras. But not in the house, just the cars." L ordered.

"_What? After getting this far? Do you know how difficult it is to break into someone's house? Besides, do you have any idea how many cars this guy has?"_

"Six." L answered. I raised an eyebrow. Some of the things he knew, he just shouldn't know. But that's L for you.

"_Fine, I'll just have to install them in all the cars right?"_

"Yes." L responded before disconnecting the call. Then he turned towards Light, "Sorry to keep bringing this up, but I'll get straight to the point."

"What is it?" Light asked.

"Do you remember?" L asked. "Killing anyone that is?"

Light glared at him, and I shook my head, "Why are you still going on about that? Look, I'm NOT Kira! How many times do I have-"

"I just want you to answer the question." L interrupted. "Well? Do you?"

Balling up his fist, "No, I don't." Light said through gritted teeth.

L tilted his head, "Misa, what about you?" He asked.

She gave him an irritated look, "I don't remember!" She exclaimed. "How could I? I'm not Kira."

I watched L as his expression grew tiresome, "Light, please don't overreact to what I'm about to say." He started. "I'd like for you and Ana to thoroughly analyze my theory. This could determine where we go on from here." He blinked. "Light Yagami used to be Kira. Kira's power somehow passed from him to another person. Light Yagami now has no memories of ever being Kira. I need your analysis on these assumptions. Do you think you could do that for me?"

I nodded, "Of course."

Light, though frowning, nodded, "Yeah, sure."

L sighed, relaxing a little, "Alright, Light Yagami used to be Kira. Kira's power passed onto another person. Was it because Light Yagami wanted it to happen? Or was there someone else who took control of Light, working in the background who gave him this power? Has the person passed Light's powers onto someone else?"

I looked down, thoughtful. Actually, if you thought about it, both were correct. Light did want his powers to be passed onto someone else, but Ryuk gave him his power in the first place, so he should be able to control them, right? I don't know. I'll have to talk to Eri about it. Speaking of her…

"I wonder if they've found the notebook yet." I quietly wondered. The time for L and Watari's death was almost among us and I needed it before then.

"Well," Light started, snapping me out of my trance. "…it would be by my own will."

L glanced at me, eyebrow raised. I briefly contemplate what I was going to say.

"Well, if you think about it, both of them could be correct." I answered. "Light could've had them passed down to someone else. But if he received those powers then the person who gave them to him should have some control over them." I paused. "Though Light is an independent person, who doesn't like to be controlled, so he would more than likely not accept it if someone tried to. Given that, there's more of a chance of him having passed down the powers than someone taking them from him."

L nodded, "Ah, I see. Of course," He mumbled. "If there's a third party with the ability to give or transfer Kira's power, and they don't want their method to be discovered, it makes no sense that they'd wait so long to transfer it from Light to the next Kira. If we believe this is the work of something watching over us from above, then we have to accept that they're impossible to catch, not to mention I'd already be dead." I winced and he gave me an apologetic look. "Or at least I'm being made to be a fool; eternally dancing in the palm of someone's hand." He looked annoyed by this possibility. "It's highly unlikely that such a being exists. Even if Light Yagami was Kira, Kira's power can only be transferred by the will of the person who possesses it. Thank you Light, Ana. I now feel 99% better."

I blinked, "So what are you going to do now?" I asked.

He looked at me, "I'm going to trick Higuchi with Sakura TV."

"Like a hidden camera show!" Matsuda said at the same time Misa said, "What?"

"We'll use the Kira special that Demegawa airs every week. We'll book a three hour time slot and announce that Kira's identity will be revealed at the end of the broadcast."

"Would anyone really believe that? We're talking about Sakura TV. I mean, we don't even know if Higuchi watches the show." I commented.

"Which is why we'll get Namikawa to call in and say, 'This is bad. Turn on your TV.' That should be enough to get him to watch it." Light said. "Higuchi will believe it once he realizes the special guest is someone who knows his secret."

"Oh I get it! So we'll be using Aiber then! He'll reveal that he was spy all along!" Matsuda said. I gave him a pitying look. I really didn't want him to do this. My mind flashed back to my nightmare. I shivered, gulping.

I tuned back in as L began to speak, "No, I'm afraid you're incorrect. We will not be using Aiber." He said. "When Higuchi sees this person appear on the show, it has to be someone who he believes he can kill. In other words, it has to be someone he can kill easily."

"But we're never going to find a person like that, are we?" Matsuda commented. Everyone stared at him and he looked at me as I gave him a small, apologetic, smile. His eyes widened in realization.

"You're the only one who can do it." Light encouraged.

"Matsu!" Misa cheered on.

"You can do it, Matsuda." Mr. Yagami agreed.

Matsuda nodded, slowly.

"You'll be alright, Matsuda." I reassured him. "Nothing will happen to you." I patted his back. "We got your back." I smiled and he chuckled.

"That's right." L said. "We'll have Sakura TV use a voice filter and frosted glass to protect your identity. Higuchi will probably realize from the announcement that it is the manager, Taro Matsui, and just to make sure, we'll have the studio 'mess up' and reveal your face from the behind the glass."

"Sounds exciting!" Misa commented.

"Until the show ends, the announcer will keep saying they'll reveal Kira at the end." L finished.

"Higuchi will have no chance. He'll feel cornered and want to find out the manager's name as soon as possible. We can anticipate what action he'll take." Light said, obviously excited about the whole ordeal.

I couldn't help but frown, even knowing everything would turn out alright.

"We'll witness his killing method. After that, we arrest him." L said, picking up a marshmallow rabbit. "There is one potential problem with this plan. If Higuchi can kill simply by looking at a face, just like the second Kira…" He squished the rabbit, letting the cream ooze out. "Matsuda will die."

My frown got deeper and I looked at Matsuda's horrified expression, "But," I quickly said. "That will _not_" I glanced at L. "be the case since he's pursing Misa and would've attempted to kill you afterwards just to be sure, so there's practically no chance that he has that ability."

"At any rate, we're only going to do this once criminal stop dying. We'll have to wait for two or three days to see whether or not that happens. In the meantime, Matsuda will have to decide if he wants to go through with this plan."

"I don't need two or three days." Matsuda immediately said. "I want to do this."

L nodded, "Then in a few days, we make our move."

I looked at him, "Awesome." I said. "Excuse me for a moment."

I rolled out of the room. I needed to contact Eri. I had some questions on my mind. And they needed to be answered.

* * *

-39-

* * *

"Hello, Eri? Did they find it yet? They did? Cool." I smiled but it soon turned into a frown. "What? I have to do _what_ if I use it?" I looked down. "Well, that's a tough decision. Are you sure I can't have both? …No, I thought not." I bit my lip. "So that's it, huh? What's the problem? Oh, nothing, nothing at all. That's all I had to say. Okay, bye."

I stared at the phone before letting my face hit my covers. I screamed.

Why is my life so hard?

* * *

Well, it's about that time of the story. You know, where Light regains his memories. I would have it be delayed but it's a necessary part of the plot, because it leads to an important conversation between Raina and Misa, so there's that. And what about Raina's decision? What is that all about? Well, you'll see soon.


	40. Showtime

Hi! Welcome to the next chapter of Expressing Yourself. I hope you have fun!

And remember to keep yourself under control and try not to disturb the actors. They must concentrate!

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

It was time for the show to begin, but I wasn't in the mood to participate at the moment. My mind kept going back towards what Eri informed me on the current situation with the Panacea Note. I sighed, a small feeling of regret overcoming me.

"Namikawa is calling Higuchi." Light called out, hanging up the phone. Matsuda was currently at the Sakura TV station, behind the screen, talking to an interviewer. The voice manipulator they used was pretty decent, decent enough to protect him at least. "Higuchi should try to call Misa a few minutes trying to get Matsuda's real name."

After that her phone rang, signifying his accuracy.

"_Ryuzaki, Mogi is in position in front of Yoshida Productions. He's just received a call from Higuchi."_

"Thank you Watari. It's time for phase two." L said. Seconds later the phone call between Higuchi and Mogi was brought up, their voices echoing throughout the room.

"_Mochi, where's Misa?"_

"_Oh, Higuchi-san, it's a pleasure to hear from you…"_

Mogi then began to give the pre-rehearsed excuse; Misa was on vacation. And she wouldn't be answering her phone during that time. If I didn't know that this would turn out alright, I would be completely nervous right now. There are so many ways this could mess up.

"This is going exactly as I plan." Light commented. "It's almost scary."

"You should be happy, Light." L told him.

Light opened his mouth to respond but Watari began to speak.

"_I'm patching you in to Higuchi's conversation with the president of Yoshida productions."_

"He's not even pretending to hide what he's asking about now, is he?" Misa said as Higuchi began demanding for Matsuda's real name. "Stupid Higuchi!"

L nodded, agreeing with her, "If he's acting like that, then he must be hiding something."

This time Wedy began to speak.

"_I see Higuchi. He's only carrying one single bag. I'm in pursuit."_

"Everything's going according to plan." Light said, still in wonder.

"Yes." L quietly agreed.

The screens then began to play a commercial; one of Misa's to be exact. I pretended to be busy with something else whilst it was going on. I didn't really like this scene very much, it was kind of awkward.

"Ryuzaki, the commercial's almost over." Light informed.

"Is that so?" L said. "Light please put Higuchi's car on audio channel one, and Sakura TV station on channel two."

Light nodded, beginning to get to work. After a moment he stopped, smirking, "As expected, Higuchi's watching every minute of this from his car."

My gaze was locked onto the screen as Higuchi began to talk to himself. I could see Rem in the backseat of the car, but pretended not to otherwise Misa might become suspicious…if that every happened. Instead I focused my attention on Higuchi.

"_Rem, what do you think?"_

The comfortable feeling in the room immediately dropped to a mix of confusion and tension, on Misa's part.

"Rem?" Light questioned. "There's no one else in the car, right? It's impossible for someone to be hiding without us knowing. He isn't on a cellphone; could it be a hidden radio?"

"No." L said, biting viciously into his banana. "There aren't any radios or devices. Only the bugs, cameras and tracking beacons Wedy installed. I have no doubt she did a thorough job."

"Is he talking to himself?" Light pressed, obviously displeasured at this tiny miscalculation. It was almost amusing give that he was going to get his memory back later on today.

"This isn't sounding good." Misa muttered.

"They'll still go there." L reassured, completely missing the real meaning behind Misa's words.

We watched as Higuchi continued to speak to Rem before coming to a decision to kill everyone he's contacted.

"No way! He's going to kill me!" Misa exclaimed, horrified.

"It's alright." L assured. "He's talking about doing that after he's killed Matsuda." Like that's any better. "There'd be no point in killing anyone until he's completed that goal first."

"There's no way he can be talking to himself!" Light said in frustration. He gritted his teeth, "But who is he talking to?"

"If he's talking with someone…" L trailed off.

"Someone who's invisible to the naked eye…." I looked at him.

He looked at me, "It could be…"

"A shinigami." We both said. We stared at each other for a moment before turning back towards the screens.

"Perhaps…" L said solemnly. I would have to talk to him about these constant mood drops of his, even though I already know the reason why he's in such a mood.

"He's arrived at Yoshida productions." Light informed.

"The show is about to begin." L muttered.

Mogi's quiet words began to come through to us, but they were distorted by the equipment. I sighed; I had better equipment than this. But I couldn't bring it out, unless I wanted everyone to know that I was Liberty.

"_We're in position to take him down. We move on your command."_

"Right." L answered. We watched as Higuchi ran into the room, before digging through some files. After a moment he wrote something down and ran off.

"He's not doing anything. He just made a note of his name and left. He'd not going to kill him here?" Light pondered out loud.

"_Ryuzaki, would you like to make the capture now?"_

"Negative. We still don't know how he kills. Perhaps he's planning to do something once he's back in his car." L suggested.

"It's weird." Light commented. "You'd think he'd be desperate to try and kill Matsuda this very second, but he's calm."

"Strange. If all he needed was his name then he'd taken the personal file with him, but he simply returned it after making a note." L mused upon.

"_Damn! He didn't die!"_

Higuchi looked absolutely livid, I almost wanted to laugh.

"What is he talking about?" Light asked, confusion tracing his words. "He said 'He didn't die'"

"He's already attempted to kill Matsuda. Was writing his name down all he needed to do?" L asked quickly.

"What should we do?" Light asked wildly. "Should we just continue to watch him? What if he can cause death just by imagining it?" He looked at L and I. L stared back, unable to answer. And I shook my head, as I was prohibited from answering his question without arousing suspicion. This whole knowing everything that's going to happen is exhausting. It really is.

"He's making a phone call." Light called out.

"It's probably Misa." L predicted. Not moments later Misa's phone rang, proving him correct.

Inside his car, we watched Higuchi panic. Suddenly he stopped, as if giving in.

"_Rem, let's make the deal."_

Oh great, the shinigami eye deal. The worst deal in the history of all deals.

"A deal? Who is this Rem person he keeps talking to? Could it be that Kira's power really comes from another world or being?"

"I sincerely hope that is not the case." L responded, but didn't deny the idea.

Wedy's voice began to flow through the speakers.

"_This is bad. Higuchi's been pulled over by a traffic cop. I'll have to pass them and leave the pursuit to Aiber's team."_

Higuchi began to rummage through his bag, as the cop asked for it. Then he paused and gunned down on the gas pedal, taking off down the street.

Mogi began to speak.

"_Higuchi's ditched the cop, he's driving away!"_

There was quick pause. The sound a crunching metal could be heard, just barely, from Higuchi's car.

"_The motorcycle cop just rear ended a truck. He's dead."_

"He's dead?" Light questioned, jumping to his feet. "By accident?"

"This is very bad…" L said to himself, in thought.

I looked at him for a moment before looking at the screen, pretending to think on the situation. I let my eyes widen in mock shock.

"Why didn't I think of this before?" I reprimanded myself. "Of course!"

"What?" Light asked.

I looked at him, "He was talking to himself in his car. All he did was write down Matsuda's name. He complained that he didn't die. Because that's not his real name! It was so obvious. He already knew what Matsuda looked like, having seen him before, so all he needed was a name and his face…" I looked around. "…just like the first Kira. Now, this cop with no identification comes up and all of sudden he's dead." I gulped. "Now all he needs is a face…just like the second Kira."

L immediately leaned forwards, hitting the microphone so that everyone stationed could hear, "It's too dangerous to allow further action by Higuchi! Let's bring him in! I believe that he has the same power as the second Kira. He's able to kill just by looking at someone's face. Please keep this in mind when you move to arrest him!" He took his hand off the microphone. "Watari, connect me to the director the NPA."

"Are you going to tell the police to ignore Higuchi?" I asked. "We don't need them going out there in this chaos. We'd have a bloody battlefield if they do."

"My thoughts exactly, and that's why I'm calling them." L said.

"Alright Dad," Light called through another microphone. "During the next commercial break, take measure seven. Higuchi appears to be heading towards Sakura TV."

L stood up, "Alright." He said. "Shall we go join in the fun?"

Light nodded, "Yeah…"

L looked down at me, "Do you wish to go as well, Ana?" He asked.

I shook my head, much to his surprise, "Nah, I don't want to hold you guys up." I said. "And besides, I've had one heart attack and that's all I'm going to allow if I can help it." I smiled. "So, go on. Save the day, I'll be fine."

L continued to stare at me before he nodded, almost reluctantly. But I was probably imagining that.

I watched as he began to pull something out of his desk before walking over towards Misa.

"I'm sorry to have to do this Misa, but you must be restrained, even with Ana here." He said in a very unapologetic tone.

"What?" Misa shrieked but L and Light were already headed towards the elevator. I took one last look at them, with a smile, before they disappeared out of view. I turned my head towards Misa, who was brooding in her seat.

I grinned, toothily, "Misa, I would like to have a word with you, if you don't mind."

She gave me a scrutinizing look, "Misa Misa doesn't know what you want, but you can't have it!" She said. "I know how you feel about Light."

I stared at her, eye twitching, "Hahahahaha! Whoa!" I steadied myself as I almost fell out my wheelchair. I chuckled, "You think I like Light? What would give you that idea?"

She glared at me, "You're always around him!" She accused. "You even interrupted _**our**_ date!" She turned her head away. "Misa knows that you like him, but he's mine!"

I blinked, "Misa…those aren't exactly reasons to accuse me of liking Light." I said. "I'm not always around him, I'm always around him _**and**_ L, you know because of their handcuffs. And I hardly talk to him at all, but since you're not around all the time, you wouldn't be able to know that." I paused. "And I interrupted your date, even though it wasn't really a date to begin with, to bring _**L**_ some cake. The only time I even looked at him during that time was to reprimand him and L for fighting like children."

She stared at me, "But you're always looking off with that look in your eyes."

My eyes widened, "What look?" I asked.

"That I like someone look."

I blinked, "No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"I do not look like that nor do I have such thoughts associated with that."

"Uh-huh! Misa knows you do!"

"Nuh-uh! I know I don't! They're my thoughts!"

"Uh-huh! Ana's in denial!"

I glared at her, "I am not in denial. To be in denial would mean that I have something to hide, which I do not."

She smirked, "Misa says that Ana's in denial." She looked up. "But what is she in denial about, hm?"

"Misa, please stop talking."

"Not until you tell me who you like! Because, if it's not Misa's Light then it has to be someone else we know!"

"What makes you think it's someone we both know?"

She smiled, "Ha! So you do like someone! I knew it!"

I blanched. I hated it when Misa got smart.

"No one."

"It's someone."

"Nope."

"Uh-huh!" She paused. "Is it that old guy? Matsuda?"

I stared at her, "No, because I don't like anyone."

"Is it Mogi?"

"I don't like anyone, Misa."

"Is it Ukita?"

"I'm not going to give you what you want."

"Is it…Aizawa!"

I stared at her, "Ew! He has a wife and kids! What do you take me for?" I paused. "But I don't like anyone, so that doesn't matter."

She stared at me for a moment, "The only person I can think of is L…" She turned around. "But he's way too freaky for anyone to like."

"He's just misunderstood." I said. "You can't blame him since he is the world's greatest detective. There's got to be like a whole list of things he can't do." I paused, thinking for a moment. "…the poor thing, it's so sad."

Misa looked at me for a moment and me at her. Suddenly her eyes widened and I shook my head wildly.

"No! No! No!" I discouraged. "No!"

She nodded, grinning, "You like L!" She exclaimed and I groaned. "It's so obvious! You baked him a cake, you're always around him…" She shook her head, smirking now. "Misa Misa should've known…"

I shook my head, lowering my eyes, "There's nothing to know, because you're wrong." I said.

"I'm right!"

I glared at her, "You're wrong because I _**can't**_ like him!" I exclaimed. "I can't like L! It's…complicated."

She stared at me, quietly. "I don't understand." She said.

I smiled sadly, "Maybe you never will." I said. "But can you promise me not to tell anyone, not even Light."

She nodded quickly, "I pinky swear!" She said.

I turned towards the monitors, my thoughts swirling in my head. Light should've gotten his memories back by now.

"Misa, whatever happens after this." I said, looking at her. "Please remember this conversation. Believe it, breathe it, and never forget it."

She nodded slowly, "Okay…"

I sighed, letting my eye close. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Raina admitted that she likes L! OMG! What!? –Looks around crazily-

I can't believe it. My character just admitted to liking someone…it's crazy ya'll. Can you believe it? Cause I can't. –Drinks some more coffee-

Anyways, since Raina's admitted her feelings for L. What about L? When is he going to admit his feelings? I can't tell you that, but you can figure it out if you want to. I can't guarantee anyone any success unless you know what my plan is for this story.

And what of Light? Now that he's gotten his memories back, he's going to be treating Ana a whole lot differently than innocent Light did. I wonder how L will react to his advances….

Oh! And remember the important conversation I said would happen between Misa and Ana? Well, this wasn't it. It's going to deal with an entirely different subject completely. And Light's going to help that talk happen! Yay him!


	41. A Walk in the Park

Hi! Once again I would like to inform you all that we are near the end of the story :'(

I would like to thank everyone who has read so far. You guys are awesome! And remember there will be a sequel. It will be a post-Kira case story.

I also wanted to inform you all that for the next few chapters it will be consisting of Raina and her plan for L's birthday/death day, which is coming up by the way. So there won't really be much interaction between her and the rest of the taskforce, except for Misa, which you should've already figured since I told you that they're to have an important conversation later.

Now, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

The vast expanse of inky blackness darkened as the night went on. The sun had long since disappeared over the horizon and replaced the sky with brilliant stars. I sat by the window in my room, my hair blowing slightly as a breeze brushed by me.

I had stayed in the room with Misa until the others had returned. I immediately noticed the difference in Light. His eyes were cold and calculating. Just like before. I began to miss innocent Light. Misa, however, didn't notice, or she didn't care, for as soon as she was let up she attacked him with a hug. I resisted the urge to tell her that no longer cared for her like he did previously. You could obviously see it when she hugged him, how annoyed he was. But he replaced that with a rehearsed content.

I had turned towards L at that point, noticing his somber expression. He looked up at me and I immediately wanted to hug him. He obviously knew that he could no longer win this game. All his aces had been used, but one. Me. I like to refer to myself as the special card or in this case the hidden ace.

I asked what had happened during their little field trip. L remained quiet during the whole explanation, which was my excuse for keeping my eyes on him. He looked at me once more and I raised an eyebrow to which he lowered his gaze again. At that I turned towards the others, noticing the black notebook in Light's hand. I questioned it. They summarized it as "Kira's death tool," for lack of better words. Light handed it over towards me and I pretended to be shocked at Rem standing behind them. Of course I saw her earlier when they arrived, but I didn't say anything.

I learned what her name was, for the billionth time, before looking through the notebook. I scrunched up my face a few time, disgusted, and that was an honest opinion. I was disgusted by this entity, this death machine. My hands felt contaminated.

_If you make this note unstable by tearing it up or burning it, all the humans who touched the notebook will die._

I raised an eyebrow.

"Look at the next rule!" Matsuda said, grinning like an idiot.

I looked down, "If a person uses the note and fails to repeatedly write names in the notebook within 13 days, the user will die." I read. I bit my lip maintaining my posture.

"Well, isn't that great!" Matsuda said. "That means Light and Misa are off the hook!"

I glanced at L, tilting my head, "Yes, very great." I said. How could they not see the flaw behind this rule? It was so perfectly placed at the right time that there's no doubt it could be fake. These are the moments where I want to smack my head against the wall. I knew that L knew these rules couldn't possibly be real, but the evidence wasn't looking so great on his part.

I continued to look at L until he looked up at me. I gave him an understanding smile, showing that I knew how he was feeling. His somber look changed to thankful, thankful that someone could see past all this.

I turned my head away from him at that point, handing the book back over to Light. I immediately excused myself. I needed to talk to Watari.

…

It was hard getting around in a wheelchair, which I was lucky, for I would soon be free of it. I took the shortest route, which was still long, to get to the security room.

Once I reached it, I barely had my hand on the door when it opened. Watari looked down at me, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"What do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Miss Emerson?" He asked.

I sighed, "May I come in?" I asked.

He stepped to the side, "Of course." He said. I rolled myself in and looked around for a bit as he closed the door behind us.

"L can't hear us, can he?" I asked. "I just wanted to make sure before I continue on."

Watari shook his head, "You are safe." He responded. "What is it that you wish to speak about?"

I looked down, "You're the only person who knows this right now, okay? So don't tell anyone." I said. "And I mean anyone."

He nodded, "Your secret is safe with me."

I bit my lip, looking up, "I am Liberty." I said. His eyes widened, shock crossing his features. Then they settled into curiosity once again.

"Why would you confide in me on this?" He asked. "I'm assuming there's a reason for why you haven't revealed yourself to the others yet."

I nodded, "Yes, my original plan was to reveal myself before this moment, but I've gotten so far without telling anyone. And I've done a pretty good job without using much of my normally unattainable knowledge on all of you. I suppose I eventually began to forget about that persona of mine."

"Ah, so this is a persona as well."

I shook my head, "No." I said. "This is me, the real me."

He nodded, "I see." He said, pushing his glasses up. "And you need my assistance, am I correct?"

I nodded, "Bingo." I said. "I can't give you all the details, or else I'd get into trouble, but I can tell you what I need for you to do."

He nodded and listened as I began to explain his part of my plan to him. When I was done his expression had softened.

"Are you sure that's what you wish to do?" He asked. "I have no troubles doing this for you, but are you positive that this is the path you want to take? There are other options."

I smiled, "As much as I would love to explore those options. I think I need to take this road instead. You understand, don't you?"

He nodded and I took that as an initiative to leave.

I took one last look behind me, "Thank you." I said before pausing. "Oh, and there's a special cake for L in the kitchen. Can you make sure he doesn't find it? Thanks." Then I rolled out the room, closing the door behind me. Once by myself I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Then I headed towards my room.

And that's how I found myself here by my window. Watari knew what do, now all I need to do is talk to Eri and I move all the other puzzle pieces into place.

I looked up towards the sky, "Only a few more days…." I thought.

Just a few more days.

* * *

Well, looks like Raina's working hard now. Whoop! L's gonna live…hopefully.

Anyways, I've just created the first ever Expressing Yourself fan art for L and Raina. Check it out on my Deviantart page. I haven't put up the link for the fan art, but you can search my gallery for it if you want.

Toodles!


	42. Silence

Hi! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. I hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I sighed, taking a deep breath as I turned towards my side. Eri stood there, staring down at me.

"I've made my decision."

"Which is?"

"I'll use the note." I said. "I thought about it and I'm totally going to go for it."

"Are you sure you wish to go through with this. You realize what will happen after this correct?"

I nodded, "Yes, I understand. I understood from the moment you told me." I chuckled. "My dad was right. He told me that the moment I truly care for someone it wouldn't be easy….but it'd be worth it." I tilted my head, thoughtful. "He's worth it."

Eri nodded before taking something out of her small satchel: A white notebook; the Panacea notebook. She handed it over to me and once she did I felt strangely calm, like all my worries had faded away.

I looked down at the note and opened it. I was slightly shocked to see words scrawling themselves across the page.

"You must sign to use the note. It's like what you humans call an agreement contract." Eri explained. "You are agreeing to abide by the rules."

I nodded, my eyes scrutinizing the words for a moment, "This says that if I use it then I'll become its owner." I shook my head. "I don't want it after this. No one should have this much power. In the wrong hands something could go wrong."

"That's merely an option, so you may return it after you're finished with it."

I signed the bottom and the book closed shut. I stared at it, stuck between shock and wonder.

"The agreement process is complete." Eri informed. "Now, the King has given me an answer on your question."

I bit my lip, slightly nervous now.

"Yes." My eyes widened. "He believes that it will do no harm since you are using the note in the end."

I grinned, "Thank You!" I exclaimed.

She seemed to be smiling, "I suppose I'll need to retrieve the tapes then?"

I shook my head, "I'll do it." I said. "I don't want to risk being caught here doing something like that. So, I'll find some way to convince L to let me go." I paused. "Actually he shouldn't have any qualms with letting me leave since I can walk now." Yep, that's right. "And he's been brooding around, and whilst it's worrying me, it also means that he's given up now which means that he won't care if I leave…." I frowned. "…I'm not exactly sure how I should feel on that."

"Humans are interesting." Eri commented.

I glanced at her, "You sound like Ryuk." I retorted before standing up. I wobbled a bit (I didn't say I was 100% healed) but quickly gained my balance. "I'll go and talk to L, get the okay to leave. You might want to leave soon, in case Rem decides to come around here for whatever reason."

I turned around to see her gone. Well…

Shrugging I walked out my door, closing it behind me. The hallway was dark, despite the few lights shining down it. I didn't let it bother me as I continued on, humming a little. After a while I began to hear voices.

"_I think we should try and cheer them up." _This was Matsuda speaking.

"_That's a great idea, Matsuda." _This was Light, surprisingly. _"But what are we supposed to do? We know what L likes. But what does Ana like?"_

I almost stumbled backwards. They obviously must've mistaken my absence for sorrow. I wasn't sad, at least not wholly. For a moment I stood there, thinking on the subject, before opening the door. Everyone looked at me in surprise.

"Ana! You're back!" Matsuda exclaimed. "We haven't seen you in a few days, so we were worried."

I smiled at him, "I'm fine Matsuda, just needed to get my legs working you know."

He looked down, "You're walking!"

Everyone looked at him and he smile sheepishly, "I mean I knew she was walking already…."

I chuckled before looking around the room, "Where's L? I wish to speak to him." I said.

"He's in the kitchen." Light said. "But he seemed in a bad mood, so maybe you shouldn't bother him."

"Yeah, I know." I said. "Thought I might cheer him up a little, you know?" I smiled. "He shouldn't be so blue in times like this." I shook my head. "…it's rather depressing." I looked up at the ceiling before looking back down. "Anyways, I'll see you later!" I closed the door, leaving them to their business.

As I walked towards the elevator I thought about Light. His eyes flashed when I mentioned L, which was a bit scary. I had no doubt that he definitely wanted to kill L now.

….

It took about a minute to get to the kitchen. I paused in the doorway. L was sitting at the table, hovering over a piece of cake, one he's hardly touched apparently.

I scrunched my eyebrows, concerned before I made my way over to him. He briefly looked up at me before looking back down.

I stood on the opposite end of the table, "L?"

He looked up, "What is it?"

I took a quick breath, "Iwasjustwonderingifmaybeyou'dletmegoouttogoandgetsomethi ng." I breathed out.

He stared at me, blankly, "No."

My eyes widened, "What!" I exclaimed. "What do you mean no?"

"I mean no, that's all there is to is." He blinked. "Is that all you needed?"

"No, I want to know why you won't let me go." I said.

"It's too risky."

I scowled slightly, "Too risky?" I repeated. "I was in the midst of Kira just a few weeks ago! How is me going outside to retrieve something too risky?"

"It just is."

I walked over towards the door. I would just go without his permission then.

"Ana, don't think about leaving." L called out. "I'll know if you do."

I turned around, "And? What are you going to do about it if I do?" I scoffed. "You've already done enough…."

I froze. I turned towards L, slowly. He was staring at me, his usual pits of black even darker than before. He said nothing as he turned back towards his cake. I felt an immediately wave of guilt wash over me.

"I didn't mean that."

He didn't respond.

"L?"

Still no response.

My heart felt slightly heavy as I turned around and walked out the room. That did not go as I planned.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I thought.

"Miss Emerson, are you alright?" I turned around to see Watari standing there. I opened my mouth and closed turning to look the kitchen door.

"Ah, I see." He smiled. "Come with me, I wish to show you something."

I blinked, curious as I followed him down the corridor.

…

I stared at the screen in front of me.

"So, these are L's old successors?" I said. "I didn't know. Well, I know who they are but I didn't know that's what they looked like." I turned towards Watari. "So, they died, am I correct? One killed himself under pressure and the other turned criminal."

Watari nodded, "Yes, that's correct." He shut off the screen. "That was what boxed L into what he is today. He blamed himself and pushed anyone who got close to him away." He smiled. "You're the first person so far to get past that."

I shook my head, "Apparently not, since he wouldn't talk to me."

"That's just his way of dealing with things, he'll come around. Trust me." He said.

I gave a small smile, "Thanks." I said. "Now, I was just wondering if you could do me another favor."

"Which is?"

I held up a pair of keys. L might've stopped me from going but there was nothing to stop Watari from going for me.

* * *

Raina now has the Panacea Note! Yeah! Now there are only a few parts left in this story. It's not over yet until I say it is!


	43. The Final Step

Hello! Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself.

How Many Chapters Left: 3

See you at the end!

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

**Raina's POV**

I was standing outside Misa's door. I thought about what I was about to do and how it would affect my current plan. If all goes well then I could continue on, but if not then…I suppose I'll have to go with Plan B.

Taking a deep breath I knocked on the door. The door immediately swung open, Misa standing on the other side.

She tilted her head, "Ana?" She said. "What are you doing here?"

I gave her a serious look, "Misa, I want to talk to about something very urgent." I said. "So, may I come in?"

She stepped aside and I walked into the room. Once she closed the door, I turned towards her.

"What I am about to tell you, you must promise not to mention it until I say so. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded, "Of course!" She paused. "But what is it?"

I motioned her over towards me. Once she was close enough, not too close though, I whispered a few words and stepped back. Her expression was priceless.

With narrowed her eyes, "How?" She asked.

I held a finger up to my lips, "I cannot say." I said. "At least not here anyways, so…" I took something out of my jacket: an envelope. "I put everything you need to know into this letter. Now, I also have this for you." I pulled out a CD. "You must under no circumstances look at this," I pointed at the CD. "Until you have read this." I pointed at the letter. "Do you understand?"

She crossed her arms, "What if I don't want to look at or read that?" She asked.

I sighed, "One, this will tell you something _**very**_ important that you definitely need to know." I said. "And, it will also save you in the long run. Trust me, I know it will. I've been through this sort of thing before, so it helps to have someone going through this kind of thing."

Misa still didn't look convinced, "I'm still not buying it."

I pursed my lips before walking up to her, there I stared down at her. "Look at me," I said. "I'm doing this because I want to make a difference in this world. And trust me when I say that if you don't look at this tape or read this letter and believe it, it will soon come a time when you will wish that you had. So, please…" I looked down. "…please just give it a chance."

The room became silent, even the noise outside scattered away.

"Fine." I looked up. "But I'm not doing this for you! I'm doing this for me!" I smiled and handed her the CD and the letter. "After you finish with those, give them back to me. Besides, I'm sure that you'll want to speak with me anyways after that." She tilted her head, confused. I began to walk out the door before I turned around, "Misa?"

She looked at me, "Huh?"

I smiled, "Thank You." I walked off down the hallway, leaving her staring after me. Just one more part to this part of the plan and I'll be done. I crossed my fingers. Please let it be in my favor. Please.

* * *

-43-

* * *

The sun had completed its journey on our end for the day and in its place a myriad of stars which spread across the black sky. A low, diminishing gibbous moon was hovering in the twilight. It was all rather relaxing.

I was sitting on my bed, going through the box Watari had managed to retrieve from my home. When he got back he gave me an encouraging smile before leaving the room. That was the last that I saw of him today, whilst the others I've seen zero to none. I wonder if they were wondering where I was.

"Hm…" I thought briefly. "Well Light probably mentioned it and the others, except L…." I frowned. L…

I hadn't talked to him for a day or so, having been busy with this plan of mine. His birthday was tomorrow and if everything went according to plan then he and Watari will be saved and it'll all be good.

Sighing, I rubbed my eyes, "Let's just hope everything turns out alright."

_Knock-knock!_

I raised an eyebrow. "Who is it?" I called.

"It's me!" Misa's voice called out. I bit my lip, nervousness creeping up my veins.

"Come in."

The door opened, slowly, and she stepped in. Upon looking at me, she looked back down. She was unable to meet my eyes.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Misa doesn't understand." She said. "What's going on? Why is this happening?"

I shrugged, "I don't know why, but all I know is that the situation calls for _**our**_ help." I said. "I can't do this without you." I pulled my legs over the side of the bed. "You wish to be rescued, but you never learn to save yourself." I looked straight at her. "So let me ask you this question before we continue: Do you want to live the rest of your life like this, with everyone so down on you because of that one characteristic of you, or do you want to step up and be someone?" I smiled sadly. "And no pressure, but I can't continue on without your confirmation. So, what's it going to be?"

She stared at me for a few minutes then back down the CD.

She balled up her fist, a smirk on her face, "What do you want me to do?"

I smiled.

* * *

-43-

* * *

After Misa decided to hop aboard the train the ride went a whole lot smoother. Luckily my plan didn't require for me to talk to Rem, I don't think I would've been able to handle it.

I placed the last CD where it was supposed to go and closed the box. Misa and Eri knew what they were supposed to do and when to do it. It was all up to them now.

I glanced at the note in my hands. Eri told me that the note creates a feeling of tranquility because since it's the Death Note's opposite, which creates a feeling of fear and power.

I looked out the window, seeing a few clouds rolling over in the sky. It was about to rain, I could tell. My mind flashed to the scene with L and Light on the roof. I smiled thinking about how well everything would turn out. I wanted to shout out in happiness, but I couldn't…not until everything goes as planned.

Looking down at my watch, I noted the time.

_11:59:55_

_56…_

_57…_

_58…_

_59…_

I smiled, "Happy Birthday L." I quietly said in my mind. I stared at the floor for a couple of seconds before turning towards my door and walking out. I headed down the hallway, where I met up with Watari.

"You know what's about to happen, right?" I asked. "There's no other way to get through this."

He nodded, "Yes, and if I must say this as my final words: Thank you, I'm honored to have known you." He said. I smiled, tearily, before hugging him. When I let go, I took one last look at him before walking off.

This time I ran into Eri, "Remember, keep me informed on the time." I said, pointing to my ear piece. "I have to know when to write their names down."

She nodded, "Understood, but what I don't understand is why are you leaving? Do you not wish to be here when they come back?" She asked.

I shook my head, "Nah, they don't need me here." I said. "Besides, after this I would have to leave anyways. The case will be closed and everyone will leave, so why not go early?"

"And what of L?"

I blinked, "What about him?"

"Do you not wish to see him again?"

I chuckled, "Of course, but what's the point now? I'm sure he'll resent me once he finds out who I am and what I know." I bit my lip, dropping my eyes. "I'd rather not be here for that."

Eri didn't say anything as I continued to walk down the hallway. I entered the waiting elevator and watched as the doors closed, but it wasn't just closing on the view, no, it was closing on everything that I left up there. When the doors opened again, I noted the light rain falling outside. I stepped out, feeling a cool breeze before walking towards my waiting car, curtsy of Watari.

"Hello, miss." The driver greeted.

I smiled, "Hello." I said before entering the car. As we drove off I didn't look back nor did I smile. All I could do was...

Cry.

* * *

-cries- Oh my god! That was so sad. Ana's gone! And worst of all she thinks L is going to resent her for being Liberty! The sadness is killing me…


	44. Discoveries

This is the chapter you've all been waiting for…well at least one of them

I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

Church bells.

He stared out the window, into the oncoming storm, his vision blurring. Shaking his head, he focused on the computer in front of him. What day was it? How long had he been like this? So, lifeless. He looked down, noticing a cup of cold tea waiting for him. Watari must've brought it, but he couldn't remember when.

He gulped, an overwhelming sense of dread crashing onto him. It was dark. He looked down at the computer screen. Seven o'clock, it must still be dark out.

He looked around the room once more before sliding out of his seat. His feet hit the cold floor and he shuffled towards the door. He didn't look back.

* * *

-44-

* * *

11 o'clock in the morning.

Still no sign of L. The taskforce began to pressure Light with questions on his whereabouts. Criminals, who were safe for a small time being, began to be killed off once again.

"Light, go find Ryuzaki. We need him here." Mr. Yagami ordered.

Light sighed, but obliged anyways, "Yes, Dad." He walked over towards the door, opening and closing it behind him. He walked down the hallway, towards the room he was forced to share with L. There was no one there.

His eyes drifted towards the window, hearing the pitter patter of the rain hitting it. Perhaps L was outside, but that would be an unlikely choice. L was predictable, too predictable. But at the same time he liked to contradict those kinds of thoughts. At that thought, Light began to continue down the corridor, before climbing the staircase.

Reaching his destination, he opened the door to the roof. Immediately, he was almost swept away by the high winds and rain. He looked around the detective before spotting him near the tower. He was standing in the midst of the rain, his eyes upwards towards the sky. Light called out to him, but he could not hear him.

Sighing, Light began to walk towards him, his body already drenched by the cold raindrops.

"L."

L turned towards him and Light could clearly see the emptiness of this being. He almost felt guilty about what he was about to do to him…almost.

"The bells are really loud today." L commented. "Maybe a wedding or a…" He trailed off, his words swept away by the wind.

"What are you talking about?" Light asked, shivering. "I don't hear anything. Let's go back inside."

"…I'm sorry, I never make any sense do I?"

"True. I know to never take anything you say seriously." Shivering again, Light looked around for a moment, "Seriously though, let's go back inside. The taskforce is looking for you. Come on." He walked off leaving the detective trailing after him.

* * *

-44-

* * *

_Drip-Drop-Drip-Drop_

The water that drenched them hit the marble floor, its sound reverberating across the room. There were a few lights, so they could see.

Light sat down on a staircase, shivering a moment from the cold contact. He started with taking off his damp sneakers. With a towel at hand he began to dry his feet. He didn't glance up as L began to walk towards him.

He gasped, "What are you doing Ryuzaki?" He asked, staring down at the man. His hands encased his foot, for what reason he couldn't fathom.

"It's the least I can do, Raito-kun. Please let me do this."

"No, no, you don't have to…"

L continued to stare up at him, his eyes begging almost. Light wanted to laugh at this brilliant outturn of events, but held his tongue.

Eventually he allowed him to continue. He turned his head for a moment as he began to dry his foot.

"We will be parting ways soon." L quietly said. Light didn't comment.

All would come into place soon.

* * *

-44-

* * *

"Watari?" L's voice became childlike, his eyes large.

This was the final result. Kira's final move against L. He'd gotten past the pawns, and the knights, now all that was left was the King himself.

_All data deletion._

Watari was dead. Somewhere, hidden from Rem and Ryuk, Eri watched him fall. She counted the minutes before calling out, "Now."

A name was written down.

Inside another room, panic settled in everyone's hearts. No one knew what to do of the situation. A monster threatened to take their lives at any moment now, but it was nowhere to be found.

"The shinigami…!"

The afterlife, he never wondered what it would be like. His mind prevented him from thinking of such fantasies. But all had been proven possible when the Shinigami began to arrive.

He fell. And he continued to fall until almost hit the ground…almost. Someone had caught him.

Staring upwards, in his final moments he saw the face of Light, but the eyes of a murderer. He continued to scream at him to get a hold of himself, continuing this sick game of his.

He had lost the game.

No longer able to keep his eyes open, he closed them on the world. L, an icon to millions, had fallen at the hands of Kira.

The world became silent, weeping at its losses.

* * *

-44-

* * *

Somewhere someone was sitting in a chair, their hand frozen in the air. Tears threatened to fall from their face.

"_Now!"_

They wrote something down, quickly before closing the book. They sat up, leaving the book fallen on the floor. Staring out the window, their eyes clouded over and a small, hopeful, smile graced their face.

"Don't let it be too late. Please."

* * *

-44-

* * *

Light screamed and the taskforce cowered away. He looked up, frantically, continuing his act. Everyone looked around, believing this to be their final moment.

Nothing happened.

Light stood up, leaving L lying on the floor. He quickly excused himself from the room. There he headed down the corridor and into a room. His eyes widened. Where was it? Looking around frantically, he pushed all the ashes aside to search for what he came here for. Nothing.

How could that be? Something was going on, something he would get to the bottom of. So, standing up, he dusted the ash off his pants and hands. Once clean, he walked back to the room with the others. They were all standing still, frozen in place.

Confused, he looked around before his own eyes widened. A clear light surrounded the room, hovering above everyone's head. He had to turn away from its intensity.

"What's going on?" He questioned.

"We don't know," Matsuda answered. "When you left we were just about to move L away when this light started to appear." He smiled. "It's kind of nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I feel really calm."

"As much as this doesn't make sense, I feel the same way."

"I feel like I'm floating on a cloud."

Light stared at them before looking down at the floor. His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. He walked forwards, looking down at his fallen rival. Small breathes of light were emitting from his mouth.

"What the…" He was thrown back by a brilliant light and had to shield his eyes. He gaped, his eyes widened, as he looked up at the figure standing before him. L. His eyes, previously black, were a bright white. And they were staring straight at him.

"That's not possible…" Light mumbled. "…you just died."

L stared at him for another moment, and then his eyes closed as the light faded away and he fell forwards. Quickly, Light caught him. He looked up at him, eyes unfocused. Light moved him over towards his previous seat, letting him rest for a quick moment. Then he turned towards the others, whose expressions rivaled his own.

"W-what just happened?" Mr. Yagami asked.

"How is he alive?" Matsuda asked, backing up a little.

Light looked back at L, who was still unresponsive.

"I don't-"

"I c-can explain what's going on." Everyone turned towards the door. The person stepped out of the dark, revealing themselves.

"Misa!" Light exclaimed. "What do you mean you can explain this?"

She winced at his tone, "I know why Ryuzaki and Watari are alive!" She said.

Mr. Yagami stepped forwards, "How?" He asked. "This goes beyond anything we've ever seen. What's going on? Please, tell us."

Misa fidgeted, "I can only explain so much right now. The rest will come when Ryuzaki becomes…." She paused. "…fully functional, I believe. Yeah! Fully functional!"

"Fully functional?"

She nodded, "Yeah, the effects of coming back to life. Duh!" She shook her head. Then she looked backwards for a moment, "Oh, right…"

She pulled something out of her pocket, a single piece of paper.

Light looked down at it, "What's that?"

"Touch it and you'll see."

Hesitantly, everyone individually moved forwards to touch the scrap of paper. They all stared behind Misa, eyes widened.

"What the…"

"S-shinigami…"

Light stared at the being standing behind Misa before looking at the woman herself. "Misa, what's going on here?" He asked.

"This is Eri, she's…." Misa looked up at the being, who nodded for her to continue. "...she's Ana's shinigami."

"Ana?" Light repeated. "Why would Ana have a shinigami?"

Eri moved forwards, "I believe I can explain that." She said. "I was sent by the Shinigami King to go back in time to fix what would've been the beginning to the end of all humanity." She looked down at Light. "I had to have one human, someone smart and pure of heart. I found your friend." She looked up. "She knew the risks of coming here, and what would happen if she failed her task."

"What would happen?" Matsuda asked.

Eri looked at him, "She would be forever stuck here, never able to return home to her family."

"So, where is she?"

"I cannot disclose that information under her direct orders."

"I see."

Light glared up at the being, "She played us all." He accused.

Misa stepped forwards, glaring straight at him, "She did no such thing!" She defended. "She did this for all us! Even you, Light!" She looked down. "She risked so much for us, and all you can do is sit here and blame her for something she didn't do!"

Everyone stared at her, shocked at her outburst.

"She was kind, sweet, smart, and she cared for us all more than she should have." Misa continued. "I even hated her at one point, but now I don't. So don't think badly of her."

"The human is right." Eri said. "If she could, she would've told you all you needed to know. But, it was one of the rules we discussed when she arrived. She could not break it."

Someone gasped. Everyone turned their heads towards L, who was clutching his chest, his breathing uneven. Misa moved over to help him. He stared up at her, unresponsive.

"It's all right." She said. "You're alive, no more pain."

He looked away from her, his eyes falling on everyone. He gaze held onto Light for a few seconds longer. Then he held out his hand.

Misa stared down at it, then her eyes widened. "Oh!" She took out the notebook paper again, touching his palm with it before moving back. L stared at the creature in the doorway before tearing his eyes away from it.

"Misa, I believe it's time for the videos." Eri announced. Misa nodded and rushed out of the room, everyone stared after her.

"What videos?" Matsuda asked.

Eri merely looked at him before Misa came back, holding a large box.

"Man, this is heavy." She huffed. "Why did she have to put so much stuff in here?" Mumbling a few more words she placed the box down next to L.

"These…" She took a breath. "…are Ana's videos to all of you. She left one for each of you individually. And, under her orders, we have to watch all of them here. Well…." She smirked. "…except one." She looked at L, who stared back at her. Slowly, he got up and moved her out of the way. He began to open the box. Inside were two stacks of letters and CDs.

He took one out, it was labeled: Mr. Yagami. He glanced up at the man who reeled backwards in surprise.

"I'm first?" He questioned. His expression turned serious, "Put it in."

L moved back up towards the seat, but was stopped by Misa.

"Oh, I forgot to mention one thing." She said. "She requested that the person whose name is written on the CD sit in front of the screen. She said it'd make it more personal that way."

She turned and looked at Mr. Yagami as he made his way over towards them. Once he sat down in the seat, L began to play the CD.

There was static for a moment before Ana appeared, sitting in her room.

"Ah, you're here." She immediately said. "How long did it take? Twenty, thirty, fifty minutes?" She chuckled. "Anyways, enough about that." She sighed. "Mr. Yagami, if I'm correct in my judgment, then you are sitting here because L is live once again. Am I correct?" She tilted her head. "Because if he wasn't you wouldn't be sitting her. I ordered that all those CDs and letters be burned upon failure of the completion of my task." She looked down, before looking back up. "Now, this is going to be short. But I just wanted to tell you to look at your son."

Mr. Yagami glanced at Light, who looked back at him.

"Now, look away."

He turned back towards the screen. "As much as it pains me to say this, and I'm only saying this because L shouldn't be able to speak up at this moment." She bit her lip. "Your son is Kira."

Everyone gasped and Light's eyes widened.

"Now, I know that surprised most of you." She continued. "And I bet you're wondering, well…where's the evidence? How is Light Kira you say? Well, I'll leave that up to Eri and Misa to explain to you for a moment." She made a 'move on' gesture.

Misa looked at Light, briefly, before pulling something out of her pocket: A watch.

"This," She began. "Is Light's watch. You should be able to recognize it. Now, watch this…" She pulled on the knob a few times and everyone watched as a tiny opening in the device revealed itself. And in that tiny opening, was a single scrap of paper. Everyone looked at Light, who was staring at Misa.

"That's not mine." He said.

Misa scowled, "It's clearly yours!" She looked at Mr. Yagami. "Mr. Yagami, isn't this your son's watch. I know you would be able to tell if it was."

Mr. Yagami, who was shaking profusely, looked at the watch for a moment. "It….it's an exact match." He finally said. Ukita, Mogi, and Matsuda placed a hand on his shoulders for comfort.

"This is insane!" Light exclaimed. "How does this prove that I'm Kira?"

Misa looked down, "Pass the piece of paper around, please." She ordered. Light's hands balled up quickly before he lowered them. He seemed to be shaking as well.

Taking out the piece of scrap paper himself, L passed it around to everyone.

"As you can see, Light also has a shinigami." Misa announced, motioning towards Ryuk, who was standing in the corner. "Further evidence against his claims of not being Kira."

"Misa! Why are you doing this?" Light asked. "I thought you cared for me? And now you're trying to prove that I'm this murder."

Misa glared at him, "Because you are!" She said. "And so was I…." She looked around. "I am the second Kira." She turned towards Light. "Ana told me that I always wish to be rescued and in that I would never learn to rescue myself. And she was right, I do need to learn how to rescue myself." She looked down. "I guess I became the second Kira because I thought I would be rescued, the notebook was rescuing me, and then it led me to you Light." She looked back up. "I thought you would save me, but I now know I was wrong. You would lead me to my own death! And you didn't even love me! I wasted all my time, got into so much trouble, over a guy who doesn't even return my feelings. I'm sorry Ryuzaki!" She turned towards him. "I'm sorry for the part I played in this game! I'm sorry."

L stared at her before turning back towards the video. He pressed play.

"How much evidence do you need to prove that L was right all along, hm?" She asked. "If any of you have realized that he was indeed right all this time, then you feel the sorrow and the pain that can only come from learning the horrible truth about someone you care for." She paused. "If you want the rest of this speech, then look at the next CD. It should be labeled Light."

Matsuda grabbed the next CD. It was labeled: Light. He handed it to L, who placed it in its slot. Mr. Yagami got up and Light slowly sat down in his place.

Ana soon was staring at him, she sat back. "I want everyone to look at him." Light could feel a bunch of eyes on him. "Now, look back." She leaned forwards, folding her hands. "I ask of you this…don't blame Light for his evil ways. No, for this would be wrong. Because, the truth is that this person sitting here is no longer Light. No," She blinked. "This is Kira. A different being entirely to the smart, mature, kind guy that you've all come to know. I've seen the difference between the two, watched it happen twice." She smiled. "Light would've never wanted all these people to be killed. And if you don't believe me then look back in time, two weeks ago. Light and L were still handcuffed together. His eyes were calculating, he was kind, he didn't want to use anyone, and he was completely different person from the thing sitting here now." She blinked. "That's why I've had his life be spared." Eyes widened. "Light will live freely without memory of this video or any moment that he was ever Kira. Misa, upon her own doing, will live freely under no thought of ever loving Light or ever being the second Kira."

There was silence as she stared off into space.

"I made this deal with the Shinigami King, and he obliged, under one condition." She blinked. "If Misa or Light were to ever retrieve their memories back somehow, they will immediately be written into his own notebook, where they will have their souls ripped from their very being and be thrown into eternal damnation. There they will suffer the pain of every single person they've ever written into their notes. Misa has already been informed of this, so she knows the deal." She shook her head. "Now _**that's**_ something I wouldn't wish on my worse enemies, if I had any. Nevertheless, it's all up to you Kira. Do you wish to die and be just like the people you've tried to cleanse this earth from or will you grow up and learn that you cannot clean the earth from the bad. It's like yin and yang, where there's good there's always evil. You might as well kill everyone to achieve a goal like yours, but of course you'd be alone…which I'm sure would drive you to the brink of insanity." She turned away. "It's all up to you to choose, I can't choose for you. But I hope you make the right decision." She looked at the screen. "Please enter the next CD."

There was a moment of silence before the next CD was handed towards L. Light, who was frozen in his seat, felt an immediate sense of realization. He was done for. He'd lost the game. He looked towards L who glanced down at him before turning away.

Shakily he stood up and Matsuda sat in his place. Ana immediately showed on the screen.

"Matsuda, my good friend." She smiled. "I must congratulate you, because personally I think you would've done a swell job handling Kira if I weren't here to stop it at this point." She sniffed. "This is going to be short but I want you to know that I don't think of you as an idiot. You may be a bit too childish, but you're no idiot. After all, could a true idiot really have pulled off all of the stuff he's done? No, I think not." She chuckled. "Anyways, that all I wished to tell you. It's been a blast hanging out with you, I wouldn't have wished it any other way. Hopefully one day we'll meet again, my friend, but until then I guess this goodbye." She waved at the camera. "You can enter the next CD."

L was handed the CD and placed it in its slot. Matsuda got up, wiping away a few tears, before getting up.

"This isn't labeled to anyone." Ukita said. "Who is this for?"

Eri looked down at them, "Ah, that's for all of you." She explained.

"As you might've seen," Everyone looked at the computer screen. "This CD wasn't labeled. As Eri or Misa might've explained, this is for everyone." She fidgeted a little. "I suppose I might as well say it if none of you have figured it out, I am Liberty." She paused. "I was sent here to save the world from the evil Kira would rain upon it. I…I am not from this world. No, I am from a place where you all are merely characters in a show, faces in a book. I know things about you all that you would never tell someone unless you trusted them completely. But! That does not mean that I know everything about you all, because I don't. And I've learned more about each of you individually than I could ever learn in a book or a show." She smiled. "Like Light for instance, I was just planning to get rid of him, all of him. But now that I've gotten to know the real Light, I can't do that to him, no I can't." She bit her lip. "I understand if some of you may resent me for keeping this a secret. But, if it wasn't explained, I could not reveal a single thing. If I did then I would be forced to stay here for the rest of my life, and whatever comes for me. It's funny, because that's all I wanted to do since I've arrived, go home and see my family. But, when the time came for it, I couldn't leave. I've grown to care about each and every one of you to a point in which I wouldn't able to leave you by yourselves. Who knows what you'll get into after this?" She smiled, cheekily. "Someone has to make sure ya'll don't get yourselves killed." She sighed. "So, yeah, I'm not going back home. Of course," She closed her eyes. "There's another reason for why I stayed. But that's something to be shared later." She opened her eyes. "I wish every single one of you the best of luck in your lives. Have fun with yourselves and others, and cherish your days, because you don't know when it will be cut off. I'm honored to have gotten to know you all." She waved. "Goodbye."

The video was cut off. Misa and Matsuda had started to cry, and Mr. Yagami even had a few tears running down his face. Light was on the floor, staring off into the distance. Ukita was leaning against the wall, his face turned away from everyone. And Mogi was standing, his fist clutched to his sides. L stared at all of them before turning around as the door opened.

"Watari!" Matsuda exclaimed. "You're alive too!"

The old man nodded, "Yes, Miss Emerson saved my life as well." He said. "She told me what would happen and when I was able to, to give this to you Ryuzaki." He handed a box towards him. L took it from his, glancing over it. "She wants you to look at those in private, it was her last request before leaving, other than this." He walked out into the hallway, pulling a cart inside the room. A three layer cake, chocolate and vanilla flavored, topped with 25 candles was pulled into view.

"She wanted you to have this."

L stepped up to the cake, looking around it. "Eri," He finally spoke. "That's your name isn't it?" The shinigami nodded. "Do you have any idea of where she might've gone?" He looked up to see

Misa smirking.

"Yes, but I cannot tell you."

"Why is that?"

Watari stepped up, "I believe I can answer that." He said. "Before she left she stated that she believes that you will possible resent her for not revealing any information to you beforehand, she did not wish to be here for that. But, everything you will need to know is in that box. She wishes you the best of luck." He stepped back and L glanced over the cake, then towards Light and Misa.

"I will allow Ana's plan to go through with them." He said. "What are we supposed to do?"

Eri looked at him, "Nothing, the Shinigami King will handle it." She said. "In about three minutes they will pass out, because of the stress the process puts on them. Then they have a day of recovery before awakening with no memories of ever being Kira. Given this time, Ana has requested that you come up with some sort of story as to explain to them what was going on and why they are no longer being suspected. She suggested that you use Higuchi as the "real" Kira, imposing that he killed himself in the process of trying to escape your grasps. But if you have a better idea, use it. She doesn't really care."

L nodded before looking over at Light and Misa who both had fallen to the floor.

"Thank You." He told Eri. "Will you be leaving now?"

Eri nodded, "Yes, my task is done. I must return to the Shinigami world and help the king with a suitable punishment for Ryuk's misdeeds." She turned towards the being that panicked and fled the room.

"I hope you two will meet each other again." Eri said before going after Ryuk. L looked at the others, who were standing motionless in the room.

"Please take care of them." He ordered, motioning towards Light and Misa. "And if you can, try and come up with a reasonable excuse for what's going on without revealing the truth. I will be there momentarily." He walked towards the door.

"Watari, could you prepare me a slice of cake?" He asked.

Watari smiled and nodded. L walked out the door, glancing down at the box. It must be something important if she had to leave it with him, he pondered as he headed towards his room.

* * *

-44-

* * *

**L's POV**

I sat in front of the computer screen, a single piece of cake sitting next to me. I quickly thought about the events of today before I found myself facing Ana, not literally of course.

Her expression softened, "L, I suppose you're wondering why I'm having you look at this in private." She said. "Well, there are a few things that I want to tell you that I'm sure you don't want the others to know…yet." She bit her lip. "First of all, the other reason for why I stayed. In these last few days I got my hands on a note, the Panacea Note. A cure-all if want to say, for it can heal even deaths scars. One of the penalties for using this notebook is that I become bounded to this world for an eternity. I can no longer see my family. Why did I make this decision, why didn't I figure out another way to save you and Watari? Well, the simplest answer is because I didn't want to." I blinked. "I've come to know the both of you better than the others during our time together, and that reinforced the fact that it was worth it. I suppose you can say that you're happiness comes before my own." She smiled, looking down. "You were worth all of this, as I can now say." My eyes widened. "I never thought I would ever do this, I didn't think I would feel this way by the end of my journey. No, I thought the opposite. Do I regret it? No."

She was silent for a couple of minutes and I found myself leaning forwards in anticipation for her next words. I believe I could hear my own heart beating now.

"I wouldn't be able to stand the thought of you ever hating me now, so I could not stay there with you all. But," She smiled. "I may be wrong. So, in that case I give you the challenge of finding me. I didn't make it easy, but I'm sure the world's greatest detective could solve this puzzle." She tilted her head, smiling teasingly. "If you do find me, I'll answer any question you throw at me…as long as it's not too personal." Her expression softened again, "Happy Birthday L."

The video cut off and I found myself leaning backwards, staring at the ceiling. I grinned, for the first time in years, I truly felt happy. Looking down, I noted a smaller box and a single piece of paper. I picked that up first.

_By the way, my name isn't Ana. It's Raina. I just thought you should know that before you try and find me._

_Good luck!_

"Raina." I tried the name on my tongue. It fit.

Placing the note down, I looked at the smaller box. I raised an eyebrow as I picked it up. Once I opened it, I stared at the object in front of me.

A Panda. A note was attached to it.

_Ha! I always wanted to do this, Panda-chan. Get it? Cause you look like a Panda_? _Well, a very cute Panda at that ;)_

Surprisingly, I found myself grinning at that last comment and I quickly put the object away. I needed to talk to Watari. After dealing with Light and Misa we were heading off.

I smirked, "This will be interesting." I thought.

* * *

Ahhhhhhh! L's alive. -Sniff- I feel so happy. Do you know how many pages this chapter alone on word is? 11! Yeah, it's 11 pages long.

Anyways, you should all know what the next chapter is about. If I didn't answer any of your long-awaited questions then I'll see if I can answer them in the next chapter, if not then I'll give you the answer individually.

Ooohh…Raina revealed that she likes L. I wonder how L feels. Given by his reaction to her calling him a cute panda I wouldn't be surprised if he felt the same way. Hehehe…but we'll have to see later, won't we?


	45. Lost and Found

Welcome to another chapter of Expressing Yourself. I hope you enjoy this…ah who am I kidding! Of course you'll enjoy this!

* * *

Expressing Yourself

* * *

A black car pulls up in front of a house. An elderly man steps out and opens the passenger door. A man, a very strange man, steps out. His eyes are blacker than the night.

"Would you please take these to my room?" He motioned towards the suitcases. "Also, could you bring me a piece of cake? I believe it is lunchtime."

The elderly man nodded and the strange man shuffled towards the house. He looked up at the building before entering through the door. He could hear the sounds of children echoing throughout the hall and it brought back a few memories.

Turning away from their sounds, he walked in the opposite direction.

* * *

-45-

* * *

She watched as the others laughed. She didn't see what was funny about a girl knowing the exact height of the Eiffel Tower in centimeters, inches, and cubits. They should be praising her, it was surprising information.

"Hey, its Ms. Richardson isn't it?" She looked up to see one of the newer teachers, Mr. Fitz, coming up to her. She tilted her head, wondering what he wanted.

"I prefer it if you'd call me Claira. Ms. Richardson makes me sound old." She said. "Wouldn't you rather be over there laughing with the others?"

He chuckled, "To tell you the truth," He leaned in a little. "They're not at all funny. I find what the children do here brilliant, not humorous."

She stared at him, "As do I. I don't see the humor in a how intelligent a child is." She shrugged. "Some people just have strange sense of humor."

"You can say that again."

She chuckled, shaking her head.

He looked down at her, "Hey. Do you want to go get some cake from the lunchroom? It's better than the stuff they serve in here." He gave a hopeful smile.

She thought for a moment, "Sure." She said, standing up. "I nothing better to do…besides," She leaned in a little. "I don't want to be stuck with them." She pointed to the oh-so-humorous group.

"I feel for you." He said. "Come on, let's go before it's all gone." He walked out the door, leaving her to follow.

* * *

-45-

* * *

When the two finally arrived to the lunchroom, there were only a few slices left. Two strawberry crèmes, one chocolate fudge, and three vanilla swirls.

Mr. Fitz looked at all of them, "Hm, I don't know which one I want." He said. "They all look so good." He turned towards Claira. "What about you? Make any choices yet?"

"I don't know." She looked over all the slices. "I like the vanilla swirl but the strawberry crème is calling to me." She looked at him. "I can _feel_ it."

He chuckled, turning to look at the slices again. "Well, how about I get the vanilla swirl." He picked up the one slice. "And you get the strawberry crème." He picked up another slice. "And we split them in half? That way we both get to taste them both."

She blinked, thoughtful. "I don't know." She rocked back and forwards on her heels. "Sounds like too much work."

He raised an eyebrow, "Would you rather we share it?"

She shook her head, "Nah, I'm fine." She said taking the strawberry crème out of his hand. "Splitting it in half is fine."

His gave her an amused look, "Do you know how many teachers here are interested in you?" He asked walking forwards.

She shook her head, "No." She paused. "Actually I haven't thought about anything like that since I arrived."

"Well, I know about three teachers wanting to ask you out." He said. "But, they're kind of creepers."

She laughed, "Are they?" She questioned. "What kind of creepers are you talking about? Like closet creepers or the classic window creepers?"

He looked up in thought, "A little bit of both."

She shook her head before reeling backwards as the doors in front of them swung open. She almost dropped her cake.

"Oh….my…..god…."

* * *

-45-

* * *

She opened her eyes to bright light.

She blinked for a few seconds to get used to it before looking around. She was on a bed, as far as she could tell. But it wasn't her room.

"What's going on?" She thought.

"Ah, you're awake." She looked up to see a familiar face walk in. He smiled at her, "I was surprised when you fainted. I didn't expect that reaction from you, Ms. Emerson."

Her eyes widened.

* * *

-45-

* * *

**Raina's POV**

My eyes widened.

I shook my head, "No, no, it's Ms. Richardson here. You know how it is, with the aliases and all." I said.

Watari looked at me over his glasses, "Ah, yes I understand." He responded. "I assure you I will not reveal your true identity. However," He smiled. "That should be the least of your worries."

I blinked, furrowing my eyebrows. "Are you talking about _him_?" I questioned. "If you are then, what should I be worrying about?"

"You'll have to wait until he realizes that you're here."

I gaped, "He doesn't know I'm here?" I questioned. "He really doesn't know that I'm here?"

He shook his head, "No, I nor your shinigami have revealed your location to him. I believe he was getting quite frustrated trying to find you, he didn't expect it to be that difficult."

I smirked and laid back, "Well, that's what happens when two smart people collide." I said, and then I frowned. "Wait, if he doesn't know that I'm here then how am I supposed to get around this house, huh?"

"You could always let him find you."

I shook my head, "Nah, that's no fun at all."

"You've been waiting for over a month, am I correct in saying?"

I crossed my arms, "So, that doesn't meant that I can't push the date further into the future." I retorted. "Besides, if he's so great of a detective, and since I am here, he should be able to find me very quickly."

"I wouldn't be so positive about that."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"When L is on a case outside of the house, he moves freely about whenever he wants to, this is a quite a lot if I must add. On the other hand, when he is home, he can take days or weeks to emerge from his room. You must remember that he's the world's greatest detective and it is quite time consuming."

I pursed my lips, "Alright, I suppose you're right." I said. "So what am I supposed to do? Just show myself to him? I don't want it to be that easy."

He smiled, "I believe I can help with dropping a few hints or giving him a reason to leave his room more often." He said. "But the rest must be left up to you, I'm afraid I can do no more than that without revealing your location."

I nodded, "Alright." I said. "Hey, I met L's successors. They're more…different than how I perceived them to be."

"Yes, most people are."

I pulled my legs over the bed, letting my feet hit the cold ground. "Well, I should get going. I have some planning to do." I said.

Watari chuckled, "There's another thing you and L have in common. You both enjoy a challenge, whether you're giving it or receiving it. You two are quite interesting to watch."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah…whatever." I said. "I'll see you later, if I can."

"I look forward to it, Ms. Richardson." I smiled and continued down the hallway. Once I reached my classroom, I quickly locked the door. No one should bother me now.

Sitting down, I tried to think of how to keep this challenge going. Hm, maybe I was doing too much.

"Should I reveal myself?" I questioned. "Maybe it would be for the best. Or," I smiled. "I could just hang around the places I'm sure that he'll go."

I frowned. Nah, that idea seems too boring.

Slumping on my desk, I sighed, "Why couldn't he just know that I was here?"

_Knock-Knock_

I blinked, sitting up. Who could that be?

I walked over towards the door, unlocking the knob. I slowly opened it to see the house guardian, Rodger, standing there. I quickly opened the door, smiling.

"Rodger, it's a surprise to see you here." I said. "Why are you here?"

"There's a teacher's meeting to be held at 6:00 this afternoon in the teachers' lounge. I expect you to be there Ms. Richardson. We have someone important coming to talk to us and I want every teacher to be there on time."

I nodded, "Understood. I won't be late."

He didn't say anything more as he walked away. I stared after him before closing the door, all thoughts of this special guest flowing out of my mind. I had more important things to worry about.

* * *

-45-

* * *

6:00 and I was rushing down the hallway. When I got to the teachers' lounge Rodger was standing by the door shaking his head at me.

"Hey, at least I got here." I commented before walking inside the room. I saw Watari standing on the stage and I felt like screaming.

"Don't tell me…" I muttered. "…L's the special guest?"

Rodger nodded, "Yes, he agreed to speak to all tonight. Now, please take a seat."

I turned towards him, "Can't I sit this one out?" I asked. "I can always ask one of the other teachers to tell me what went on later." I was getting desperate.

I paused.

Why did I want to wait for L to find me? Why didn't I want to go to him, knowing that he was here? I looked down, feeling the true weight of what I was feeling at the moment. I knew why I wanted to carry out this plan of mine, instead of taking the easy way out. It wasn't about having fun, no, it was so much more than that. I was afraid, afraid of how he would react. I had always been afraid since I left Tokyo, but I suppose I just didn't want to admit it to myself.

I felt someone shaking me. I looked up to see Rodger staring at me, "Ms. Richardson, can you hear me?" He questioned.

I blinked, "Of course, why?" I asked.

He stepped back, "You spaced out there for a moment." He frowned. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, "Never better." I said. "Excuse me, but I have to take my seat."

I could feel his, and other, eyes on me as I took a seat near the back.

"Hey." I looked up to see Mr. Fitz looking at me. "Are you okay? You seem a bit out of it."

I smiled, "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

He gave me a look and I looked away.

"If there's something wrong, the best thing to do is to tell someone. Because if you keep it in, then it'll get stronger, and when it gets stronger, it'll be harder to fix."

I stared at him, "Have you been reading my stuff?" I asked.

He chuckled, "No, I guess I'm just as deep as you are." He said. "Now, what's the matter?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. I just feel like running away, far away. I'm afraid and I don't like it." I bit my lip, sitting back. "I don't want to be here tonight, please don't ask me why. But, whatever happens, don't forget who I am. Okay?"

He nodded, "Of course." He sat back and turned his gaze towards the door. I followed and stared at the figure walking in.

"Well someone sure doesn't change." I thought with a small smile. "Of course, that's what makes him…him."

I watched as Rodger walked up on the small stage, "Teachers, I called you here tonight to introduce you to a very important person in our lives. The man who made all of this possible, I bring you: L."

Everyone gasped before they started to murmur, except me of course. I kept my eyes on the man sitting down in the chair on the stage. He didn't look too happy being here.

"Can you believe that's L?" Mr. Fitz whispered. "He looks a lot different than what I expected him to be."

I nodded, "Yeah, I know what you mean." I said.

"So, I'll leave him to talk to you all." Rodger finished, moving the microphone over towards L. Then he quickly, well as fast as _he_ could, moved off the stage.

"Thank you, Rodger." L voiced. It's weird, for I almost forgot what he sounded like. It was almost relaxing…

"I do not wish to hold any of you long." L continued. "I merely wished to address the goals of the students here for the new teachers." His eyes moved around the room as he did this. I pretended to tie my shoes, even though I wasn't wearing sneakers.

Once he was done, I sat back up.

"These students here are not only without homes. No, they are more different than that. Each one has knowledge beyond what any adult would expect of a mere child." I raised an eyebrow. "Some have no goals beyond this point, some are here just for knowledge, and then some are here to become the best. Those who are the best are picked out to become my successor, hopefully one day becoming L themselves."

I frowned. Of course you couldn't blame me. After all I did just experience his death thrice! Once in the manga, another in the anime and the third time in this world! I didn't want to hear about the possibility of death for a long time.

"Nevertheless, until that moment, anyone may become my successor." He blinked. "That is all."

Everyone clapped and some stood up. I shook my head, feeling a bit nauseous.

They soon settled down though as Rodger walked back onto the stage. "If you wish to speak to L, this may be your only chance. Please choose wisely."

I rolled my eyes, standing up as everyone else did. I started to head towards the door when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Mr. Fitz standing there.

"Hey, aren't you going to meet L?" He asked. "It'll be a brilliant experience."

I shook my head, smiling meekly, "I'd rather not. But please tell me about the experience tomorrow." I said.

"Ms. Richardson." I groaned, turning to look at Rodger. "You're not going to skip out on meeting L, are you?" He raised an eyebrow. "That would be unwise.

I sighed, "You don't understand, I really-"

"What seems to be the problem here?"

I froze as L came near us. Luckily, for some odd reason, he hadn't looked at me yet.

"It's nothing that can't be handled." Rodger said. "Please don't worry about a thing, L."

"Ah, I see." He turned to face us and his eyes widened considerable. Then they lowered.

I smiled, feeling uncomfortable, "Well, this was fun." I said. "I should get going, you know, lots of work to do tomorrow."

"Ms.….?" I sighed and turned around, facing L.

"It's Ms. Richardson." I said. "Do you need something?"

Mr. Fitz gaped at my tone of voice and Rodger's face turned red from sheer embarrassment. L, however, just stared at me.

"Yes, I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to stay here. I'd really like to talk to you after everyone has left." He said.

I crossed my arms, "And what if I don't want to?"

"I don't believe that's your decision to make."

I pouted, "You can't control me."

"I never said I could."

"Yes, but you are trying to. You just stated that it wasn't my decision to leave, therefore implying that it's your decision. And so that intensifies the simple fact that you can't control me!"

He rubbed his lower lip with his thumb, "Your face turns red when embarrassed but not when you're angry." He tilted his head. "How interesting…"

I scowled, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about." I said. "You're just irritating me."

L opened his mouth before Watari came between us, "My protégée and Ms. Richardson deeply apologize for this inconvenience everyone. If you could please exit out this door." I turned around.

"Except for you Ms. Richardson."

"But-"

He fixed me with a look. I pouted before settling on look at the floor. Now I was embarrassed.

…

After everyone left, Watari made L and I sit across from each other. I didn't look at him.

"Ana." I looked up. "I feel as if this is more than just the idea of challenging L. Now, I want you two to talk. You haven't seen each other in over a month. You need to work this out."

He walked out and left L and I to ourselves. I looked down again.

"Did…." He paused. "Did I do something to deserve this perhaps?"

I looked up, "What?"

He stared at me, "You wish to run away from me. I wonder why. Did I do something?"

I bit my lip, "Um….er….." I sighed. "No, you did nothing wrong. It's all me."

"How so?"

I glared at him, "What do you mean how so? You know why I left Tokyo in the first place, the _other _reason for why left." I looked down. "I suppose I eventually let go the thought of you actually forgiving me."

"I don't hate you."

I blinked, "Of course not." I said. "That's not what I was talking about."

He raised an eyebrow, "What then?"

"I wasn't exactly kind to you my last few days there. I ignored you, I said some stuff I didn't mean, and then I just left without a word. I left you nothing but a note and video. You have every right to be mad at me."

He stared at me. Then he laughed. And when I say laughed, I mean he laughed.

I blinked, "What's so funny about that?" I asked. "These are my emotions you're playing with!"

His expression changed back to neutral, "I apologize for laughing." He said. "It wasn't towards you, but me. I completely disregarded your actions towards me for the last few days. I assumed you were speaking about you being Liberty." He blinked. "It was quite humorous."

I stared at him, blankly. Then a thought came to my mind, "So," I coughed. "What now?"

He stared, "I'm not completely sure. Are we speaking of when you-"

I nodded, "Yes, that's what we're talking about. There's no need to repeat it." I said.

"Ah, I see." He looked around for a moment. "I'm not too experienced on that subject, if you don't mind."

"Well of course you're not, duh." I said. "You're the world's greatest detective, it doesn't exactly leave you time to well…think about your emotions and all that good stuff." I tilted my head. "I would help you, but these are your feelings towards _me_. So I can't help you."

"You did not let me finish." He said. "I'm not too experienced on that subject, but I have put some thought into it before this moment."

I raised an eyebrow, "Well?"

"You…." He looked down. "You are kind, a match for my own intelligence, and you can bake a cake quite well." I bit my lip. "I suppose I-"

I couldn't take it anymore. I started to laugh and this time he was the one to stare at me. However his expression resembled one of a hurt puppy.

"What is so funny?"

"I'm sorry!" I said. "You're really bad at confessing to someone."

He turned away, "I'm sorry if I disappoint you." He said.

I chuckled before moving closer to him, "But it's kind of cute…_kind of_." I said. "You're going to have to work on that."

"Of course."

I nodded and he stared at me for a couple of seconds. I blinked as he lifted my face a little.

I looked around, confused, "Um….L, w-what are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm not completely sure," He murmured moving closer, "I saw a man do it in a movie."

My eyes widened, "A movi-!"

We kissed. Our lips were conjoined, inseparable.

I didn't know how to feel. I figured I'd feel like I was floating or something, but I didn't. But it didn't feel wrong either, which was good. Actually it felt quite nice, comforting even.

I closed my eyes, relishing in the feeling for a few more seconds before we parted. We stared at each other.

I was the first to look away, "That was unexpected." I commented. "But it wasn't bad."

"Yes, I believe we're on the same page."

I glanced at him. "Well, I should get going. I do have to teach tomorrow." I said.

"Ana."

I stared at him, "If we're alone, you may call me Raina. I'd prefer it that way."

He nodded, "Raina," He corrected. "Watari and I discussed your future here. I understand that you will not be returning home." I looked down, nodding. "We wish to help you. As I was saying your intelligence does rival my own." He tilted his head. "I would very much like it if you'd become my partner."

I blinked before smirking, "In what way?" I raised an eyebrow, teasingly.

For the first time ever, L was speechless. He opened his mouth a couple of times before closing it.

"I was…aren't we…?" He paused, taking a moment to think. "I meant in terms of becoming my partner in my detective works. But, I...I suppose the _other _idea isn't...bad."

I chuckled. I will always cherish moments like this, where L cannot form a straight sentence out of embarrassment. I'm sure that everyone on the taskforce would be laughing right now if they could see this.

Anywho, I smiled. "Take me out on a date you got yourself a partner, partner." I winked before walking towards the door. "By the way," I motioned towards his clothes. "Don't wear that." He looked down at his clothes.

I stepped out the door to see Watari standing there, smiling. I opened my mouth.

"Welcome to the team." He said. I felt my face flushing.

"You were listening in on us." I said. "So you know that we…"

He continued to smile, eyes twinkling. I felt like fainting, but I didn't. Instead I turned and headed down the hallway, embarrassed. But I soon started to smile, happy.

"My life will be very interesting from now on." I thought, chuckling.

Very interesting.

* * *

Does anyone else feel like they're going to cry? How many of you screamed when they kissed? Come on, I know you did! Hehe…that scene was very strange to write. Usually because I don't get to those scenes or they're just nonexistent. But I'll get used to them sooner or later.

Dang Watari! You creeper! You don't listen in on people's conversations like that. But admit it, most of you people would. Would you?

Anyways, I want you all to check out the next chapter for it contains some very important information!


	46. Information

Oh MY GOD! I thought I had lost all my information on the last chapter. I was about to have a heart attack. I spent more than an hour working on that chapter alone. Ugh, I need something to calm me down.

* * *

Information

* * *

"Hi! It's Raina here and I wanted to thank you all for reading Expressing Yourself. It's been a blast acting for you all."

L looked at her, "Act?"

She looked at him before sighing, "Okay, it wasn't an act. But it was fun having you all here." She looked at L. "Happy?"

He nodded, "Yes, very."

She shook her head, "Anyways, if you all want to see our first date then just tell the author and she'll do it! But if not then you will never know the embarrassing stuff that happens."

L stared at her blankly and she smiled at him, toothily.

"And don't forget to stay tuned to see the sequel to this story: Change of Pace." She smiled. "I hope you enjoy it! It'll be fun!"

"Yes, it will be fun." L droned. "And for you to use the words _tune in_ would imply that this was a piece of musical works not a literary document. The correct phrase would be 'Don't forget to look out for the sequel' or 'Don't forget to read the sequel to this story.'"

Raina glared at him, "Must you constantly correct me?" She asked.

"Yes, I must."

"Why?"

"You're quite…cute…when you're embarrassed."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Alright," She smiled, blushing slightly. "That's all we have to say for this story. As I will say again, I hope you've all enjoyed Expressing Yourself." She waved. "Goodbye!"

"…"

"L say goodbye or I won't make you anymore cake!"

A sigh, "Goodbye…"

* * *

Hehe…

I'll see you all in Change of Pace, alright. Okay.

-curtain closes-


	47. Update!

Hello! I know it's been a while since you've heard anything about Expressing Yourself or the upcoming sequel "Change of Pace," but I just wanted to inform you all about how that's going to go. I think I'll limit it to about 5-10 chapters, each showing different POV's in Raina and L's lives, along with everyone else. The reason why I set it to 5-10 is because I don't want to get too far ahead of myself into their lives and all of a sudden not be able to finish the story, rather not make that mistake again...

I know there's probably someone out there who won't like this idea, but it's the best I can do until I get to that point in which I can make an entire original series off of something like Death Note. I've reached the point where I can make one out of cartoons like Code Lyoko, something I've grown to love, and is relatively easier to make a story off of, rather than Death Note, where the story line and the characters are much more complicated.

Sorry for any disappointments, throwing of books, etc...

Whovian'sForeverUnited


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